Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann accepts resignation of doctor ‘humiliated’ by minister

Spinal surgeon Dr Raj Bahadur resigned on July 30, after Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra asked him to lie down on a dirty mattress during an inspection at the Guru Gobind Singh hospital.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Thursday accepted the resignation of Dr Raj Bahadur as the vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, 12 days after the renowned spinal surgeon had put in his papers.

The CM, after accepting the resignation, forwarded it to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who is also the Chancellor of all state universities. The state government has, meanwhile, given the charge of the university V-C to the director, medial education, as of now, an official source said.

Dr Raj Bahadur had tendered his resignation on July 30 after Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra forced him to lie down on a dirty mattress while inspecting a ward at Faridkot’s Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, which comes under the university.

A video clip of the incident was shared widely on social media in which Jouramajra was seen placing a hand on the veteran surgeon’s shoulder while pointing towards the “damaged and dirty condition” of a mattress at the hospital. Later, another video in which the minister was showing unmoved grass to the VC had also gone viral.