“Don’t Expect Anything From Me”: Kolkata Hospital’s New Principal Loses Cool

Three days and a midnight massacre at her Emergency Department later, RG Kar Hospital’s new principal Suhrita Pal lost her cool with the students today. As protesting doctors demanded that she take immediate action regarding the midnight mob attack and meet the students’ demands, Ms Pal retorted, “If you can’t trust me for one hour then send me home also”. 

The reference was to the fate of her predecessor Sandip Ghosh, who has been sent on a long leave by the Calcutta High Court, which was furious over his new posting less than 12 hours after his resignation.

“I need one hour to do some official work. You need to believe me, I won’t go. You have to believe me. If you can’t believe me then don’t expect anything from me,” Suhrita Pal said.

Suhrita Pal, who was with the state government’s health department, was appointed to the post after Sandip Ghosh resigned. He was appointed Principal of the city’s top medical college – National Medical College and Hospital – the very day he resigned from RG Kar. Both appointments were with immediate effect, the government notification said. 

Mr Ghosh’s new posting remained a non-starter. Initially he got locked out of the Principal’s room by the students of National Medical College, who went on a protest immediately after the announcement. A day later, he was ordered to go on a long leave by the High Court.

At RG Kar meanwhile, the students’ protest had continued, despite the court order that the Central Bureau of Investigation take over the rape-murder case of a  31-year-old doctor that has shocked the country and triggered a furore across its hospitals.

As the planned midnight protest started across the city on August 15, RG Kar hospital was targeted by a mob of unidentified people who proceeded to wreck the protest spot, the Emergency Department and  attacked students and the police when they arrived to control the situation. Fifteen policemen were injured. 

The students have blamed the hospital authorities for failing to provide security yet again. 

The rape and murder of the young doctor at the seminar hall of the hospital on Friday morning has drawn much attention to the lack of security and proper facilities at the state-run hospital.

There have been claims that the mob had deliberately wrecked the crime scene, which the police have denied. The BJP’s Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sent “goons” of the Trinamool College to disrupt the women’s protest rally near the hospital.