Chandigarh: PGI assistant professor hits back, accuses ARD of blackmail

Days after the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at PGIMER filed a formal complaint against an assistant professor, accusing him of harassment and unprofessional conduct, the latter has accused the body of blackmail and politicising residents’ issues.
The initial complaint, filed by ARD on October 15, included claims of inappropriate remarks by the assistant professor in the OT coffee room and alleged pressure on a female ARD representative to end a strike related to the rape-murder of a doctor in Kolkata.
In response, the assistant professor, who is from the department of anaesthesia, sent a letter to PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal on October 17, denying the allegations and accusing the ARD president of attempting to create a sympathy wave in his favour.
The professor claimed that the ARD president had a history of disrupting hospital services and blackmailing the administration by leveraging his position.
He also accused the ARD president of abandoning his duties during a critical incident in the emergency room, citing evidence of his absence from the ICU over the past three months.
Indicating that he plans to file a defamation suit against the ARD president, the assistant professor further described how he had tried to disrupt the institution, not only by leading strikes but also by allegedly seeking personal benefits and engaging in political maneuvering under the guise of resident welfare.
On Saturday, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal had also penned a letter to resident doctors, criticising leaders of ARD for misusing strikes.