Faces of RG Kar protest get bond postings away from city
Times of India | 28 May 2025
123456 Kolkata: The posting of three senior resident (SR) doctors, who were prominent faces of RG Kar movement, has triggered a controversy, with a large section of the medical community terming it a ‘witch-hunt'. The three SRs also said their posting was in violation of the counselling process. This may lead to a series of protests by various doctor organisations. The charges prompted Trinamool to ask for how long these doctors will cash in with the RG Kar protest victim card. All PG medical students must serve a bond posting of three years after completing course. The final year PG result was published on Feb 28, and the counselling began much later, completing on April 8. During counselling, the PG pass-outs are allocated places of posting according to the merit list and vacancies. After counselling, candidates are also made to sign an undertaking that the option they choose is final and they will not ask for a change in future."According to my ranking and the vacancy list, I opted for RG Kar during counselling. Now, when the final list comes, I find that I have been posted to Raiganj Medical College. This is vendetta," said Aniket Makata, who completed his PG in anaesthesia from RG Kar.Sources said all 871 junior doctors on the list of SR bond posting published on Tuesday were allotted postings as per the counselling, apart from Mahata and Asfakulla Naiya (ENT), both from RG Kar, and Debashis Halder of MCH. "The reason is our participation in RG Kar protests. The move is also destroying sanctity of counselling process, introduced two years ago to make it transparent," said Naiya. He had opted for Arambag Medical College but got his posting at Purulia Medical College as per the list.According to rules, the PG pass-outs have to serve a medical college for a year on bond, and for the next two years, they can be posted either in a district hospital or a sub-divisional hospital. According to Halder, he opted for Howrah District Hospital as he completed his one year of posting at Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. But he has been asked to go to Gajol sub-divisional hospital.Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "For how long will they play RG Kar protest victim card? They had joined public service knowing well their jobs are transferable. What is their logic of protest? That they will always work in Kolkata, or its periphery. Other govt officials are routinely transferred, so are doctors. For how long will they use a brutal incident to further their individual agenda?" Junior doctors went to seek clarification from officials but to no avail. They said they will protest against this. Seniors' bodies like Association of Health Service Doctors, Service Doctors Forum and Medical Service Centre have supported them. Health officials refused to comment.