Categorical Information Service
KOZHIKODE: The fortieth anniversary of a historic occasion within the socio-political and well being historical past of Kerala has gone unnoticed. It was on March 23, 40 years in the past, a gaggle of rebellious youth, beneath the banner of Janakeeya Samskarika Vedi together with its guardian Naxalite social gathering, CRC-CPI-ML, performed a public trial of corrupt medical doctors of Kozhikode Medical Faculty Hospital (KMCH). The occasion that shed no blood resulted in Naxalites profitable large help and placing an finish to the rampant corruption amongst medical doctors.
Vedi state committee members Sethu and A Soman have been accountable for the operation which was meticulously deliberate and executed with the help of Naxalite leaders together with Develop Vasu.
“The corruption at KMCH was such that surgical procedures have been performed solely after paying bribes,” reminisces Sethu, who’s a septuagenarian now.
Then Naxalite chief and an accused within the case, Venu Poovattuparamba says that there was an occasion of a poor affected person promoting her single supply of income-milch goat-to pay the bribe and the physician refusing it on the bottom that “He can’t purchase even purchase canine biscuits with that meager quantity”.
“I used to be deputed by social gathering leaders Ok. Venu and Develop Vasu to organize a background report on the state of affairs. It took three months to gather info from KMCH. Junior medical doctors C P Sreedharan, Abdul Aziz and Brahmaputhran leaked us helpful ideas (The primary two have been suspended and arrested later) and we ready a report exposing 11 medical doctors as probably the most corrupt. Some 2,000 copies of the report have been distributed within the hospital space and medical doctors have been on their toes,” elaborated Sethu.
“No affected person was prepared to provide inputs. However medical college students helped loads. They leaked info from the case sheets and we visited the homes of sufferers and gathered info,” added Venu.
Among the many recognized, probably the most infamous, Prof Ok M George (Orthopedics) was chosen for the general public trial.
Trial day
On the day, squad members caught maintain of George as soon as he acquired out of his automobile from the parking zone, which is located on the bottom of the current casualty block. Develop Vasu was supervising the motion and was ready to face an assault in case of police intervention.
George was garlanded with sandals. An “I’m corrupt” board was pasted on his chest and he was introduced out of the hospital campus to the spot the place the current park circle is located. Slogans have been raised and shortly greater than 150 individuals gathered. Soman learn the chargesheet and requested the gang to ask questions which they did on their very own.
“The general public ire in direction of the corrupt was intense. A affected person, who was forcibly discharged by George for not paying the bribe, shouted that he ought to be killed,” recalled Venu.
Later, the activists took out a rally to Kozhikode metropolis however have been brutally lathicharged by police at Kovoor. Ayyappan, Venu Poovattuparamba, Chandran Grasp, Mammu, Odesa Sathyan (he did not participate within the trial) amongst others, suffered severe accidents and 30, together with A Soman, have been arrested.
Vedi members Ramesh Chalappuram, Pradeep Mananthawady, Kochu Soman, Dasan amongst others actively participated within the public trial.
The incident acquired nationwide consideration and largely modified the general public notion in direction of Naxalites. All corrupt medical doctors have been transferred. All concerned within the case have been later let out by the courtroom. There was large help for the programme and even then Supreme Court docket Chief Justice, Y.V. Chandrachud, lauded it. Eight newspapers wrote editorials on it and reporters of nationwide dailies got here right down to Kozhikode to cowl the next occasions.
‘It inculcated a worth system’
Retired Sulthan Bathery Taluk hospital superintendent, Dr E P Mohanan says the general public trial prompted the tip of corruption amongst medical doctors at KMCH then. “Additional, it firmly established a worth system among the many then medical college students,” stated Mohanan, who was a scholar at KMCH in 1981.
Trying again after 40 years, each Sethu and Venu really feel Dr S Ok Ramachandran might have been averted from the record of the corrupt. In accordance with Venu, Ramachandran was the one who had no consideration for sufferers even whereas taking bribe.
Who have been the 11 corrupt medical doctors
Ok M George, Sreenivasan, Moideenkutty, Mohan Kumar, Thyagarajan, V J Nair, Ok P Rajagopal, S Ok Ramachandran, Mukherji, Vijayalakshmi Mukherji and radiologist Rathnakumari.
Develop Vasu
“The occasion was organised by Naxalites by fielding Vedi activists in entrance. I used to be the captain and Chandran Grasp and Ramanandan vice-captains. A Soman was made the chief of the operation as he was having a swing place on the motion. Ramdas and Krishnan have been deputed to ‘seize’ of Dr George”.
