Protest erupts over arrest of Group-D staff

Siliguri: Tension gripped North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) as employees protested against the arrest of a Group D staff from the hospital.

The arrested worker, a cleaning staff, has been identified as Chandan Mallick. Mallick was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a theft at the NBMCH premises, which triggered protests by his fellow workers. On Thursday, the protesting employees staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the office of the Superintendent, , demanding Mallick’s immediate release

On December 19, several items were stolen from a storeroom where biomedical waste is stored. Hospital authorities had filed a complaint, prompting police to investigate. CCTV footage reportedly showed Mallick breaking the lock of the room, based on which police arrested him. Protesting workers claim that Mallick broke the lock on the instructions given by the supervisor of their group, as the lock key could not be located that day. They argue that if Mallick is to be held accountable, the supervisor should also be arrested.

“He is innocent. Chandan was merely doing his job as instructed,” said Bijay Mallick, one of the protesters.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sanjay Mallick, the Superintendent of NBMCH said: “This is a legal issue, and we cannot interfere. Let the police do their job.”