RIMS imbroglio
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 29, 2014 -

The letter from Govt of India on the removal of Dr Sekhorjit :: Pix - David M Mayum

The unfolding drama over the removal of Dr S Sekhorjit from the post of Director of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) is becoming more interesting with each passing day.

The order for removal of Dr Sekhorjit and appointment of Dr Chongtham Arunkumar in his place was reportedly issued by Iswar Singh, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on August 25.

But the news of the change of guard was kept secret from all the staffs and employees of the premier medical institute until Dr Arunkumar turned up to take the charge of the Director the following morning.

Whether the copy of the order was made available to Dr Sekhorjit himself or not is not known, but the fact that he left the office of the Director through the backdoor without meeting anyone when a team of media persons rushed in after hearing the news about the change of guard indicated that he too was kept in the dark.

With Dr Sekhorjit refusing to hand over charge and leaving the office of the Director under lock and key after applying for 3 days’ casual leave, the newly appointed Director Dr Arunkumar had to sought the intervention of the Ministry which has subsequently given the instruction for breaking open the office room of the Director by giving a 24-hour notice to the outgoing Director and in the presence of district magistrate concerned and representatives of police so as to avoid any legal complication.

In the meantime, Dr Damayanti, wife of Dr Sekhorjit, and who works as the Head of Anatomy Department in the same medical institute, led a protest demonstration against the removal of her husband from the post of Director along with students from the Nursing College and Dental College and some doctors of RIMS on August 27.

They contended that removal of Dr Sekhorjit without assigning any reasons and warning is objectionable.

They also denounced assigning the charge of Director of RIMS to a professor who has not only crossed the age-limit for administrative works but was also earlier relieved from the post of the Medical Superintendent due to this same age factor, and suspected of a political maneuvering behind the removal.

In tandem with this protest demonstration which was staged amid bursting of fire crackers within the campus of RIMS by some other people to celebrate the removal of Dr Sekhorjit, the sacked Director is learnt to have filed a complaint in the High Court challenging his removal from the coveted post against six respondents including the Union of India.

Now, adding a new twist to the drama, a team of State BJP leaders called on Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on August 28 to appreciate the decision taken for removal Dr Sekhorjit from the post of Director of RIMS, maintaining that it was a ‘must-to-do affair’.

With this, the drama seems to have been completed.

But in the light of all the events leading up to present imbroglio, which were preceded by a series of allegations over irregularities and high-handedness in the administration of the premier medical institute by Dr Sekhorjit and his wife that have been caught the attention of CBI, one can’t help to get away from the feeling that just as there is a woman behind every successful man, the same woman could also lead to his downfall.