Kolkata, Jan 6 (IANS) Following the announcement made by junior doctor Aniket Mahato, one of the prominent faces seeking justice in the RG Kar rape-murder case, regarding his decision to withdraw from his Senior Resident (SR-ship) position last week, he has now reached out to the public for financial assistance to cover the government bond amounting to Rs 30 lakh.

Mahato published a QR code on social media on Monday night after resigning from his Senior Residency earlier in the day.

The QR code contains his bank account number. It has been revealed that Dr Aniket Mahato made public the bank account in his name at the Salt Lake branch of South Indian Bank. According to the rules, a government Senior Residency is a bonded post. If one leaves it, a sum has to be paid to the government.

Justifying his request for money through crowdfunding, Aniket told a section of media persons, “I have resigned from the Senior Resident post under the state government bond. My sources of inspiration are Vidyasagar, Vivekananda, Rabindranath and Sarat Chandra. As you know, according to the terms of the bond, I have to pay the government 30 lakh rupees. This financial burden is beyond my means. I hope you will provide financial assistance.”

On Monday, Mahato sent a letter to the state’s Health Secretary, Director of Health Education and Director of Health Services. In the letter, he wrote, “I was not given a valid appointment on time. As a result, my valuable academic period has been irreparably wasted. I have suffered severe mental harassment. I am no longer willing to join the Senior Resident position.”

An official from the state health department said that students at government medical colleges actually study using taxpayers’ money. That is why there is an obligation to provide service in the districts. If this is not fulfilled, there is a provision for compensation. It is learned that Dr Aniket Mahato will not receive a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) or clearance from the health department until he pays the Rs 30 lakh bond.

Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors’ Association has called a meeting on the issue.

It may be noted that Aniket Mahato was one of the prominent faces of the protest movement by junior doctors in West Bengal against the ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor of the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. Last Thursday, he tendered his resignation from the post of president of the “board of trustees” of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), the umbrella body spearheading the movement.

In his resignation letter addressed to the board of trustees, Mahato said that although the decision was painful, he was constrained to step down from the post.

While Mahato did not spell out the exact reasons behind his resignation in the letter, he hinted at his dissatisfaction with certain decisions related to the formation of the executive committee of the front.

–IANS

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