Siliguri, April 16 -- North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) has once again come under the spotlight following serious allegations of mental harassment meted out by a faculty member.

Aditi Barman, a first-year intern student from the Physiotherapy section of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) Department, has lodged a formal complaint to the hospital authority against Pratap Nandi, in-charge of the diploma course in the department.

The complaint, submitted to Principal Dr Indrajit Saha on April 4, details repeated instances of alleged mental torture, verbal abuse and academic sabotage. Barman alleges that she was deliberately failed in her exams and subjected to derogatory comments during class. Following the college authorities' response, students from the department staged a protest on Wednesday, halting all academic and clinical activities.

The protesters demanded immediate action and a thorough investigation. After a meeting with department head Dr Partha Pratim Pan, the college administration agreed to remove Nandi from his position and send him on a 10-day leave pending investigation. The students called off the protest following assurances that a final decision would be made within seven days by an internal inquiry committee.

The incident echoes a previous complaint in February, when Riya Vaidya, another student from the same department, accused a student of ragging and intimidation. While the police complaint was later withdrawn, the case remains under review by the college's Anti-Ragging Committee.

Speaking to the media, Vaidya stated: "Pratap Nandi often abuses students verbally. If anyone protests, they are threatened with exam failure and isolated from the group. Our protests are not just about one incident - it's a culture of fear and silence we are challenging."

However, Pratap Nandi has denied all claims, calling them "false and baseless". "No such incident has taken place in the department," he said.

The head of the PMR department said: "An internal investigation is underway and disciplinary action will be taken based on its findings."

Meanwhile, student representatives have warned of renewed protests if no concrete action is taken within the promised timeline.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.