College may seek legal help to save accused students

“It is an absolutely unprecedented situation that I am in. We will have to be ready for a situation as to what should be done if one or more students are acquitted,” said Manju Banerjee, principal of the medical college. “We might take extra classes and go easy on the attendance issue for such students so that they are not affected academically,” she added.

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Sources said that the college might seek legal help to secure bail for the students.

Dr Arun Choudhuri, city-based doctor and a medical consultant with ITC, however, said that according to the rule, if a registered practitioner is convicted, his or her registration would be cancelled. “In this case, if they miss a test and if later they later are acquitted, the university authorities will be in soup because it is their responsibility to see that they sit for their tests,” Dr Choudhuri said.

Dr Pawan Gupta, consultant, Indian Medical Academy, said it was the discretion of the medical college how they wanted to treat it. “If they are behind bars and miss a test, then they automatically miss a year. If they are out on bail and available for taking the test, then it will be up to the college authorities. They may bar the students from sitting for the test or allow them. But in any case, their future is in a lot of jeopardy,” he said.

However, Dr Sushanta Banerjee, West Bengal Director of Medical Education (DME), was optimistic. “Who said their career is finished?

Have they been convicted? Let the verdict be out and then we will see what can be done,” Dr Banerjee said.

Hospital superintendent Dr S A Amam refused to comment on the issue, saying, “I am concerned only with the patients’ treatment.”