Protests Erupt Over Prof Sandip Ghosh’s Reappointment As Principal Of Calcutta Medical College And Hospital

The appointment of Prof (Dr) Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, to the position at Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata sparked widespread protests on Tuesday. The unrest escalated when West Bengal minister Javed Ahmed Khan and TMC MLA Swarna Kamal visited the site this morning. Ghosh, who had resigned from his previous role just a day earlier, was quickly reassigned to the Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital.

Students criticised the reinstatement of Ghosh to Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital as deeply troubling and unethical. They appealed to Minister Javed Ahmed Khan for justice with folded hands and chanted “Go Back” in protest against Ghosh. The students expressed their desire to avoid a repeat of the situation at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.

In response to the sexual assault and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital on August 9, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has called for a nationwide OPD shutdown starting Tuesday. Consequently, the Outpatient Department at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital was closed, leaving patients waiting in line for medical services amid ongoing uncertainty. Some patients reported waiting for over two hours.

A patient said, “We have been standing here for two hours. We don’t know if the hospital is open. Nobody has told us anything.”

On Monday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on the West Bengal government to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the case and ensure the perpetrators are punished. The IMA also sent a letter to Union Minister J.P. Nadda, requesting a comprehensive inquiry into the factors that allowed the crime to occur and outlining measures to enhance the safety of doctors, particularly women, in their workplaces.

IMA had given a two-day ultimatum for the fulfilment of their demands. “We submit to you our demand for the safe zone, defined security measures and Central Law on violence as deterrent measures. We hope you would consider our demands favourably in the light of the deteriorating ground situation,” the IMA letter reads.

On August 9, the post-graduate trainee doctor was discovered raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.