RG Kar Hospital expelled ten people — including doctors and house staff — on Saturday over a slew of allegations including sexual harassment and extortion. The development came even as several junior doctors launched an indefinite hunger strike to press their demands.
According to an Indian Express report, the decision was taken during a special college council meeting on Saturday. A report from the Institutional Enquiry Committee held several staffers and students guilty — with some names forwarded to the Internal Complaints Committee with “substantial evidence of sexual harassment against women”.
The list of expelled individuals includeAshish Pandey — house staff member close to former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh. The latter was arrested in connection with the Kolkata rape-murder case last month and remains under CBI and ED scrutiny for a littany of allegations.
The lengthy list of offenses outlined in the report include threatening to fail others in university exams or oust them from the university hostel. They alleged forced other juniors to join a particular political party, indulged in sexual harassment and even forcefully collected money. Students were forced (irrespective of sex) to attend the boys’ common room to face “DIASING” (physical and mental torture) or perform obscene acts. Juniors were also made to buy drugs and alcohol at odd hours.
Junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have led vehement protests against their working conditions since the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor in August. The agitators had partially resumed work following assurances from the Mamata Banerjee-led government last month.
"We came to Dharmatala yesterday with 10 demands...We were given assurances after which we returned to our jobs, but now we will sit on a hunger strike till our demands are fulfilled... Ever since the RG Kar incident on August 9, we have seen a great deal of carelessness by the Police," alleged a protesting junior doctor.
The agitators said six doctors were currently sitting on an "indefinite hunger strike" after failing to have their demands fulfilled.
"We are not getting any support from the police and state administration but we do not want any support, we just want our demands to be fulfilled," Aniket Mahato added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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