Dr Sandip Ghosh ex-Principal of RG Kar Medical College is back making headlines after a brief hiatus. This time the arena of game that is being played goes a bit deeper or one may say a bit higher. Dr Sandip Ghosh has been transferred from his post of Principal of RG Kar Medical College to professor, Orthopaedics of Murshidabad Medical College.
Let’s recall a bit of history during his tenure at the same college. We all remember the viral video which showed students running behind the principal the next day after he sent police to their homes, in a nutshell he had been extremely authoritarian and plainly regardless of any students say in all matters (including regulating women’s hostel timings) against which the students rightfully rebelled. Ultimately the movement was smashed by TMC’s various tactics and pressures despite the students initiative to form any independent body to uphold and fight for their rights. Later various students who took active part in the movement were selectively targeted by all forms of apparatus at the disposal of the ruling power. During these shameless incidents we witnessed how TMCP cells in various medical colleges forced general students with various threats to post supportive comments in Dr Sandip Ghosh’s name. The same was done to defame the Medical Colleges Students’ Union Movement last year and is being done in this current cycle against his transfer to Murshidabad Medical College.
An interesting thing to note is, despite these peculiarities what does this current transfer actually indicate. It is clearly visible that the state and centre have been engaging in a fight for political control of universities and their heads. Recently the VCs of many universities of the state have been removed and temporary VCs been appointed by the governor. These tensions and actions by the both state and centre if highlight one thing is that concern for students interest in the last thing on their minds. The centre is introducing NExT exams as well as relaxing criteria for opening new private as well as government colleges and other various issues of medical education. Alongside NEP has been introduced and being implemented piece by piece of a daily basis. The state government is neither resisting these policies in turn are actively implementing them by closure of schools in the name of saving money and opening study hubs. Alongside the degree of medical education is suffering due to countless mismanagements and constant defunding and loaning out of government infrastructure and teaching staff.
In short students real issues and demands are not heard or generally allowed a seat at the table as major stakeholder of how the medical education system as well as the overall education system must be run. Here the centre and state are engaging a fight for political control over universities.
We have seen historically how transfers have been used by the ruling party time and again to squash any voice of rebellion especially in the medical arena. Anyone who raises their voice against mismanagement or against ‘special’ administrators are immediately transferred. We have witnessed how we lost Dr Abantika because of this same brutality whose application to be transferred due to very genuine reasons was rejected 8 times and she was pushed to make an unfortunate decision. In a similar fashion doctors who fought for democracy during WBMC elections were transferred immediately after declaration of the results of a stolen election in a vindictive fashion. These mental and professional harassment for the purpose of exercising political power has been seen countless times and the current resembles nothing more than that.
We believe that the development of medical education system, healthcare as well as overall education can only be possible by the democratic process of input of their stakeholders by their independent initiative. Medical College Democratic Students’ Association has always upheld this philosophy by fighting against undemocratic attacks of the ruling party in power and will continue to do so.