Did Sheikh Zahir Abbas Exploit His Role at Panskura Hospital?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sheikh Zahir Abbas exploited his position for personal gain.
- He owned multiple vehicles rented to the hospital.
- Numerous complaints about his misconduct were reported.
- The NCW is actively involved in addressing the case.
- Similarities draw attention to broader institutional issues.
Kolkata, Sep 17 (NationPress) Sheikh Zahir Abbas, the individual implicated in the Panskura Super Specialty Hospital rape case in West Bengal, has been discovered to have misused his position as facility manager to obtain lucrative contracts for his personal ventures, as confirmed by police and hospital insiders on Wednesday.
Abbas, arrested last week for allegedly raping a female hospital staff member, was contracted through a private outsourced agency as a facility manager, according to police sources.
Since assuming the facility manager position a few years ago, he has been leveraging his connections with local and politically influential figures to secure contracts from hospital authorities for his personal businesses.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the accused owns eight ambulances and two passenger vehicles, all of which he has rented out to the hospital authorities, generating significant income in the process.
“In his role as facility manager, he was supposed to ensure the safety and security of both medical and non-medical staff. However, numerous complaints have arisen indicating that instead of focusing on this duty, he often meddled in administrative matters, particularly concerning decisions on hiring outsourced services. Few dared to confront him due to his local political ties,” stated a senior physician at the hospital, wishing to remain anonymous.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of the situation and plans to send a delegation to Panskura to meet with the victim and her family.
Many within the hospital are drawing parallels between Abbas and Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, who faced accusations of exploiting the institution for personal financial gain.
Ghosh is currently in judicial custody related to multi-crore financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Hospital.
He is also accused of being a key conspirator in the rape and murder of a junior doctor on the premises of R.G. Kar Hospital in August of last year.
On Tuesday, Abbas was brought before a district court in Panskura, where he was remanded into police custody for eight days.