Bengal government replaces Kolkata top cop, health service director on demand of protesting doctors

West Bengal, Sept 17 :  The West Bengal government on Tuesday replaced Commissioner of Kolkata Police Vineet Goyal with senior IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma, a major development in the attempt to end the RG Kar impasse that has seen doctors refusing to return to work.

The decision to remove Goyal, under fire over the handling of the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar hospital, was announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday night after her meeting with agitating medics.

Verma, an officer of the 1998 batch, was the ADG and IGP (Law & Order) in his last assignment.

Jawed Shamim, an IPS officer of the 1995 batch, was made the ADG and IGP (Law & Order).

The government also removed Dr Kaustav Nayak and Dr Debasish Halder from the position of Director of Medical Education (DME) and the Director of Health Services (DHS) respectively, a health department order said.

Dr Swapan Soren was appointed the new in-charge director of health services and Dr Suparna Dutta officer on special duty of medical education, it added.

Nayak was appointed the Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare while Halder was posted as the officer on special duty of Public health at Swasthya Bhawan.

Junior doctors, who are on ‘cease work’ protesting the rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the Kar Medical College and Hospital for the last 39 days, have been demanding the removal of the Director of Health Services, Director of Medical Education and the Health secretary for their alleged involvement in corruption in the state health sector.

-PTI