Subarna Goswami Challenges Transfer Order in Calcutta HC
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Synopsis
Senior doctor Subarna Goswami has approached the Calcutta High Court to contest a demotion by the West Bengal Health Department. This transfer has sparked division within the medical community, with some supporting Goswami while others defend the state's actions as routine.
Key Takeaways
- Subarna Goswami challenges his transfer in court.
- His new role is deemed a demotion.
- Medical associations are divided over the issue.
- Supporters label the transfer as vindictive.
- Goswami has faced multiple transfers under the current government.
Kolkata, April 8 (NationPress) Senior doctor Subarna Goswami, the prominent figure in the movement against the R. G. Kar rape and murder tragedy, has turned to the Calcutta High Court to contest the West Bengal Health Department's decision to demote him in Darjeeling.
Recently, the state Health Department issued a directive transferring Goswami from his role as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health (DCMOH)-II in East Burdwan district to the position of Superintendent of Darjeeling TB Hospital.
Goswami expressed his concerns regarding the transfer, labeling it vindictive. He stated, "This new position is a rank lower than my previous one. Additionally, the hospital in Darjeeling lacks adequate patient admissions, making my role there significantly limited. This marks the eighth time I've been transferred under the current Trinamool Congress government, with five of these transfers occurring at the same rank."
Despite having taken up his new posting, Goswami has sought legal recourse from the Calcutta High Court against the transfer order.
The transfer has sparked division among the medical community in the state. Two medical associations, the Joint Platform of Doctors and the West Bengal Doctors' Front, who were actively involved in the R.G. Kar movement, have shown their support for Goswami, condemning the transfer as a vindictive decision by the state administration.
Conversely, two other groups, the Progressive Health Association and the West Bengal Junior Doctors Association, reportedly aligned with the ruling Trinamool Congress, defended the Health Department's actions, labeling the transfer as a routine procedure.
Along with Goswami, Kunal Sarkar, another esteemed senior doctor who was a key figure in the R.G. Kar movement, was previously summoned by the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal for questioning concerning their public remarks about the initial police investigation into the rape and murder, prior to the case being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Calcutta High Court.
