Agartala: Anindita Bhowmik, a physiotherapist at the Tripura Medical College and the Dr. BR Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital, was reportedly suspended from service over a Facebook post she had written about an expensive machine that was allegedly purchased without a tendering process.
She feels that after the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Tripura in 2018, there is no freedom of expression. “During the Left Front government, FIRs were filed against me several times for criticising the government on social media. But I have never faced such situation before – this time, under the present BJP government, I was suspended for my social media post,” Bhowmik told The Wire.
Bhowmik is the daughter of a ruling BJP MLA, Arun Chandra Bhowmik of Belonia sub-division under Tripura’s South district.
“Without calling tender, an immoral OSD has given the tender to a private party without due diligence…,” her Facebook post from March 24 read. Anindita Bhowmik has alleged that the hospital authority called her and pressurised her to delete the post.
“I didn’t mention anything about the hospital on my Facebook post. They tried to create mental pressure on me to take down my post. The hospital authorities even threatened me with dire consequences and later they summoned my father, asking him to convince me to delete the particular post. When I refused, the hospital authorities finally suspended me. But I was surprised since in my post, there was nothing against the hospital or against the officials of the hospital,” she said.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Society for Tripura Medical College and Dr. BR Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital, Swapan Saha, suspended her on March 27.
“…a disciplinary proceeding against Smt Anindita Bhoumik, Physiotherapist, Society for Tripura Medical College and Dr. BRAM Teaching Hospital, Hapania, Agartala is contemplated: Now, therefore, the undersigned, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 1 of Chapter V of the Service Conduct Rules, 2019 of Society for Tripura Medical College and Dr. BRAM Teaching Hospital hereby places the said Smt Anindita Bhoumik Physiotherapist under suspension with immediate effect. It is further ordered that during the period of that this order shall remain in force, the headquarters of Smt Anindita Bhoumik shall be Hapania. Smt Anindita Bhoumik shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining the previous permission…,” the suspension order reads.
Bhowmik says that prior to 2018, she wrote multiple posts on social media criticising the then Left Front government. “But I was never threatened in this manner, nor did I ever have to face a situation where I was facing professional consequences for my personal opinion. There is no freedom of expression in the state after the formation of the BJP government. We have voted them to power, then why can’t we criticise them?” she told The Wire.
Meanwhile, officials at the Tripura Medical College refuted Bhowmik’s allegations.
In a press statement, the officials of the hospital said Tripura Medical College and Dr. BRAM Teaching Hospital were financially suffering because of an old CT scan machine. Therefore, in an executive committee meeting held on July 7 last year, it was decided to outsource the CT scan service.
“Accordingly, an e-tender was called on October 16, 2020 and it was specifically mentioned that the service should be provided at the prescribed rate of the society. Two companies from Kolkata and Agartala participated in the tender. The rates paid by the Calcutta-based company were not acceptable as the society would suffer financially at that rate and some of their conditions could not be accepted by the society,” Saha said.
The official also said that the Agartala-based company offered a good price, but the cost of their CT scan was higher than the price paid by the society. The matter was raised and decided upon at a society meeting held on January 6, 2021.
The press statement also claimed that Bhowmik posted on social media without knowing the issue, and thereby issued a ‘public insult’ to the officers working in the society. An attempt was made to convince Bhoumik that her comments on social media were incorrect, but she did not agree, the statement continued. Officials also said that Bhowmik entered the CEO’s room, raised her finger and demanded an explanation from the CEO as to why he had called her father to the society and allegedly insulted him.
“Despite repeatedly telling the CEO that he did not call Mr Bhowmik, Anindita threatened to take legal action against the CEO and abused the CEO. In that case, with the approval of the society’s authorities, the CEO decided to suspend her,” the official said in the statement.
In 2019, Dr Kaushik Chakraborty, a faculty member at the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC), had been suspended for tweeting against chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. A departmental disciplinary proceeding was also initiated against him.