After Newsclick Expose, UP Police Busts Illegal Pathology Lab Run by BRD Medical College Student

Uttar Pradesh police have arrested two persons including a fourth year MBSS student of Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College on charges of running a private pathology lab using illegal documents. On July 30, Newsclickhad first reported that a lab called Lilawati Pathology was being run allegedly in illegal manner in the name of two women assistant professors of BRD medical college.

Sunil Saroj, a final year MBBS student and Vinod Kumar Singh, pathology superintendent have been arrested on Tuesday, July 31, on the charges of misusing the documents of Dr Kanchan Srivastva and Dr Archana Bundela from the BRD College to run the lab. The lab was not approved by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), neither is registered with the chief minister office (CMO).

Local sources told Newsclickthat police are also interrogating one of the teachers whose documents were being misused to run the private pathology lab. The controversy has erupted after Head of Department (HOD) of BRD's cancer department Dr. Mirza Qaiser Baig had accused the Principal Dr Ganesh Kumar of corruption and of practising autocracy. Baig had also alleged that a clerk working directly under principal, Ramdeen, was also involved in the scam. 

He further said that four days before they shut down the pathology lab, they removed the name plates and boards.

Speaking to Newsclick, Gularahia police station SHO Jaideep Kumar Verma said, "The accused have been booked under sections 379 (punishment for theft), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (punishment for cheating and dishonesty), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) under the Indian Penal Code.” 

He further added that the two accused, who have been arrested, are being sent to the district court and later they will be sent to the Gorakhpur jail. Saroj had allegedly sold Srivastva's documents to Singh for Rs 40,000, according to Verma.

When asked if Srivastva is being interrogated, Verma said that she has given her statement at the police station, and has said that her documents were stolen, and were being misused to run the Lilawati Pathology. 

Making an allegation against Dr Kumar, a doctor from the BRD medical college, who chose to remain anonymous, questioned, "Why is there no departmental inquiry against the women assistant professors? Have these doctors themselves sold their degree and why did principal not believe his own chief security officer when he had informed him about the ongoing corruption?"

Baig is the chief security officer of the BRD medical college, who had resigned from his post after the controversy came into spotlight, but later he took resignation back.

Dr Kumar told Newsclick, "If found guilty, the student will be punished as the police is investigating the matter. He is from 2009 batch, and is final year student."

When asked what action BRD administration will take against the student, Kumar refused to speak, and disconnected the phone.

Newsclick tried to reach Dr Srivastva for her comments, but she did not respond.

The BRD Medical College is no stranger to controversies. Last week, Newsclickhad reported that 11 contractual workers of the college’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) department for Encephalitis survivors (who invariably end up with disabilities), are not being paid their salaries since last three years.