Doctor who contradicted UP police version on rape sacked by AMU
New Delhi: Days after publicly contradicting the UP police version of the Hathras gang-rape and murder case, Dr Azeem Malik, temporary Chief Medical Officer of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital, has been told his services are no longer required at the hospital, according to The Wire.
His statement that the FSL (forensic science laboratory) report – samples for which were taken 11 days after the October 14 assault – held no value directly contradicted Additional Director General (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar's statement, who had said the FSL report showed there were no traces of sperm and hence proved that no rape took place.
On October 16, Azeem received a letter saying that the proposal to appoint him as temporary CMO at the hospital could not be acceded to. And finally, on October 20, he was given an urgent notice terminating him from his post at the hospital.
On October 5, Dr Azeem Malik had told a leading national daily: "The samples were collected 11 days after the woman was allegedly raped, while government guidelines strictly say forensic evidence can only be found up to 96 hours after the incident. This report can't confirm rape in this incident." The victim had been admitted to JNMC Hospital for her treatment for 14 days before being shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi a day before her death.
A former student of the same university, Azeem had been hired in August as a temporary CMO when 6 out of 11 CMOs of the hospital were diagnosed with Coronavirus. His term, which was to be extended till November against the post of Naresh Kumar, who is on leave due to COVID-10, has abruptly ended as he received a notice on Friday saying that his extension, starting from October 10 to November 8 as temporary CMO, couldn't be approved.
The Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Shahid Siddiqui, according to Azeem, had been "scolded" by the V-C the day after his statement had come out in the press. "The V-C had called the principal and scolded him. We had got an indication that day that we will have to face the wrath in some form. There was nothing wrong in giving statements to the press. Ask any doctor, they will say the same thing as me. But it is happening probably because it made headlines," he said.
According to Azeem, the Vice-Chancellor had also indirectly expressed disapproval to his other colleagues and asked them why he had given such a statement to the press. Sources in the hospital also said two other CMOs are also likely to be terminated, presumably as a cover for the termination of Dr Azeem. With agency inputs
