PGI dept head locked out of office

High drama was witnessed at the pharmacology department of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here on Tuesday when the head of the department found his office locked and was denied entry.

High drama was witnessed at the pharmacology department of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here on Tuesday when the head of the department found his office locked and was denied entry. The office was locked by nobody else but a former head of the department, who was removed from the post by the PGIMER director for allegedly harassing a colleague.

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Dr Amitava Chakrabarti, former head of the pharmacology department, who was facing allegations of harassment levelled by an assistant professor of the same department, was removed from his post by PGI director Dr YK Chawla in February. In Dr Chakrabarti's place, Dr Arvind Rajwanshi, head of the cytology department and a senior professor, was given the additional charge of the department.

According to sources, like any other day, when Dr Rajwanshi reached the department on Tuesday he found the room he would use as his office locked. When he enquired from the staff they said the room has been locked on the instructions of Dr Amitava Chakrabarti.

Though both of them refused to comment on the issue, sources said Dr Chakrabarti has won a case this regard in the Central Administrative Tribunal, wherein the PGI director's decision has been set aside. However, the institute has not issued any official order regarding the change of headship in the department.

Following the complaint, the PGIMER director constituted a committee under the chairmanship of former head, department of neurology, Dr JS Chopra. The committee found serious misconduct on the part of Dr Chakrabarti.