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Kullu doctor suspended amid protest over death of woman after childbirth
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According to the news agency PTI, the district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry led by Kullu Sub-Divisional Magistrate into the incident after talks with the family. The health department has also constituted a committee to submit a report on the incident on Tuesday. The state government has suspended a gynaecologist posted at the Regional Hospital, Kullu, following the death of a woman after childbirth, in what has become a high-profile case that has triggered widespread public outrage and protests. An order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department on June 30 said that Dr Anu Devi, specialist (obstetrics and gynaecology), has been placed under suspension with immediate effect pending a departmental inquiry.According to the order, Manju Sharma, 23, died following a surgical procedure performed by Anu Devi at the Regional Hospital, Kullu, on June 21. The suspension has been ordered under Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, based on a report submitted by the Director of Health Services recommending an inquiry into the incident. During the suspension period, Anu Devi will remain attached to the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Shimla and will not be allowed to leave the headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority. Sharma’s death sparked massive protests in Kullu, with local residents and social activists staging demonstrations and a sit-in outside the hospital. Protesters had also blocked traffic at Dhalpur, demanding strict action against those responsible and a fair investigation into the incident. Tuesday also was the second day of hunger strike by the protesters, which included family members of the deceased woman. They have been demanding that the doctor and two nurses at Regional Hospital, Kullu, be suspended, claiming that negligence led to the death of the 23-year-old. Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Kullu, Sunder Singh Thakur, on Tuesday visited the protest site outside the Regional Hospital, where the victim’s family members and local residents have been staging a dharna.Story continues below this ad “A similar incident had occurred at Kullu Hospital in 2018, when a woman also died during an operation. However, the then government did not take any action,” Thakur said. He said the present government had acted promptly by suspending the doctor. “Two or three other staff members are also likely to be suspended in the coming days,” the MLA added. Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also visited the Regional Hospital, Kullu, along with senior BJP leaders. They met the bereaved family members and interacted with agitating local residents, assuring them of support and demanding a fair and transparent investigation into the incident. On June 20, Sharma from Sunaru village under Bali Chowki in Mandi district was admitted for a delivery. The attending doctor conducted the surgery but her condition deteriorated suddenly afterwards, her family members alleged.Story continues below this ad Her family members have alleged that the hospital staff were informed about her deteriorating health but a nurse dismissed it, claiming the woman was feigning distress. According to the news agency PTI, the district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry led by Kullu Sub-Divisional Magistrate into the incident after talks with the family. The health department has also constituted a committee to submit a report on the incident on Tuesday.
The strike was called by the Motor Vehicle Department (RTO) Employee Union, whose members say the Maharashtra government has repeatedly delayed action on key administrative reforms approved nearly four years ago. (File) Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra, including those in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, saw clerical staff hold a sit-in protest on Monday, the latest escalation in an indefinite strike that began on June 16 over long-pending administrative reforms. The strike has disrupted a range of services at RTO offices. “The indefinite strike has affected several individuals, particularly those with urgent work like vehicle registration transfers, transport vehicle permits, RC and license duplication, and hypothecation cancellations, among others,” said Vishwa Inarkar, an agent at the Pune RTO.However, services such as vehicle fitness assessment and learner’s licence issuance continue unaffected. What sparked the protest The strike was called by the Motor Vehicle Department (RTO) Employee Union, whose members say the Maharashtra government has repeatedly delayed action on key administrative reforms approved nearly four years ago. The dispute traces back to September 23, 2022, when the state government approved a restructuring, referred to as ‘Akrutibandh’, of the clerical cadre within the Motor Vehicles Department. Under the earlier system, a clerical employee’s career advanced through five grades: Junior Clerk, Senior Clerk, Junior Auditor, Office Superintendent (OS), and Administrative Officer. The restructuring abolished the Junior Auditor grade, allowing employees in that role to be promoted directly to OS.Story continues below this ad The total number of OS positions across Maharashtra was also raised, from 66 to 176, and several promotions were carried out accordingly. Even after those promotions, 56 OS posts remained vacant. The union pushed for Senior Clerks to be promoted directly to fill these gaps – and the government agreed, but with a caveat: the promotions would be temporary, valid for only three months, pending the drafting of a new recruitment policy. “The standard validity for such promotions is 11 months. Three and a half years later, that policy is yet to be framed,” said Jagdish Kande, working president of the union. Over 80 staff from the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Baramati RTO offices are currently participating in the strike, he added. Delay by the administration Surendra Sartape, general secretary of the union, said the union had made repeated attempts to resolve the matter through official channels, but to no avail.Story continues below this ad “Despite substantiated follow-ups, the administration is adopting a delaying tactic, forwarding proposals to the government under the guise of seeking guidance,” he said, noting that on June 19, the government promoted 38 ARTOs to Deputy RTO posts, but the union’s demands were left unaddressed. “We will begin a human-chain protest from Wednesday if the government fails to act,” Sartape told the Indian Express. The demands raised by the employees include approval of promotion proposals for 23 posts of Senior Administrative Officer and Administrative Officer; prioritising framing of recruitment rules for the post of office superintendent, currently pending; permanent transfer of employees whose deputations have been cancelled to their respective departments; and application of the Transfer Act of 2005 to certain employees in the administration department. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read More Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
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