A witch hunt has reportedly started against those suspected of abetting the 20-day long anti-reservation strike by the institute’s doctors.
NEW DELHI: Three senior officials at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, including the Director, Dr P Venugopal, have either gone on leave or left the institute, raising suspicions that a witch hunt has started against those suspected of abetting the 20-day long anti-reservation strike by the institute’s doctors.
Although health secretary P Hota denied the charges, AIIMS faculty members are convinced that the three will be made to pay for their role in the strike. The inexplicable absence of the three comes after Thursday’s announcement by health minister Anbumani Ramadoss that those who were abetting the strike have been identified and serious action would be taken against them.
The three who are absent are -Dr P Venugopal, the director of the institute, Dr DK Sharma- Medical Superintendent and Mayank Sharma- the chief financial officer.
On Saturday, a day after the strike ended, Mayank Sharma, whose tenure was to finish by June end, was asked to handover his charge immediately. Dr Venugopal proceeded abroad on a leave and Dr DK Sharma went on a three-day leave.
The Director’s office says that his leave was long due and he was simply waiting for the strike to end.
Mayank was perceived to be very close to Venugopal. Faculty members had been gunning for his resignation for a month as they suspected him of financial irregularities and abetment of the strike.
Mayank, in his defence, said, “I am being witch hunted by those I was strict on.” The health secretary PK Hota also gave him a clean chit saying, “It has come to my notice that people believe that Mayank has indulged in financial irregularities. But we have not seen any proof of that and have asked him to leave in good faith.”
Apparently, about 40 faculty members had submitted a memorandum to Ramadoss against medical superintendent Sharma. “We had received SMSs from the office of the medical superintendent through the hospital exchange saying please show your solidarity to those doctors and faculty on strike,” said a senior faculty member.
Sharma denies these charges flatly. “I am a government employee looking at administration. Why should I get involved with the strike,” he asks.
There are more interesting tales emanating from the prestigious institute that was the nerve centre of the recent anti-reservation protests.
The night before the strike was officially called off, there was a difference in opinion at the general body meeting. The resident doctors had decided to call off the strike. “Faculty members came at night and urged us to not break the strike as they said the future of students across the country would be affected,” says Dr Anirudh Lochan from VMMC. Students however, are unwilling to disclose the identities of these faculty members.
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