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5-member KGMU panel to probe conversion, harassment charges
The decision follows reports in print and electronic media on Thursday and concerns raised by the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) during a meeting with KGMU authorities on Wednesday. Senior KGMU officials said the move is in line with their commitment to transparency and accountability.
King George’s Medical University (KGMU) has constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to probe media reports and allegations of forced religious conversion by a senior doctor in the department of pathology. The panel has also been tasked with probing the delay in informing the university administration about the alleged suicide attempt by a female junior resident.
The decision follows reports in print and electronic media on Thursday and concerns raised by the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) during a meeting with KGMU authorities on Wednesday. Senior KGMU officials said the move is in line with their commitment to transparency and accountability.
According to an official order issued by vice-chancellor prof Soniya Nityanand, the committee will examine all aspects of the allegations and related events and submit its report within a week. The panel will be chaired by prof KK Singh from the department of surgery. Other members include prof Suresh Kumar, medical superintendent of Gandhi Memorial and Associated Hospitals; Dr RAS Kushwaha, proctor; prof Haider Abbas from the department of emergency medicine; and Dr Sumit Rungta, head of the department of medical gastroenterology, who has been appointed member-secretary.
Meanwhile, the senior resident doctor, Ramizuddin Nayak, accused by the female resident of harassment and pressuring her to convert before marriage was found missing on Friday, despite explicit directives from the KGMU administration barring him from leaving the city. Official sources said that if he is not traced soon, the matter will be formally reported to police.
Earlier, the KGMU Vishakha Committee found the accused resident doctor guilty and recommended his suspension. Acting on the report on Tuesday (December 23), the medical university suspended him, barred his entry into the campus and hostel, and prohibited him from leaving the city.
The female resident doctor had allegedly attempted suicide on December 17 by consuming sleeping pills and was admitted to the Trauma Centre ICU in a critical condition. She later recovered and was discharged. She has since filed complaints on the chief minister’s public grievance portal, with the State Women’s Commission and KGMU authorities, while an FIR has also been registered at Chowk police station.
KGMU has provided the victim with a hostel room on campus, round-the-clock security with a female guard, and has further strengthened campus security, including plans to install AI-enabled CCTV cameras, officials said.
