Guwahati, Feb 17: A senior woman doctor of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has filed an FIR on Tuesday alleging workplace harassment by the institution’s principal, Dr Achyut Baishya, triggering a police probe and a government-appointed inquiry into the matter.
The Associate Professor and former Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology earlier submitted a detailed complaint to the Chief Minister’s Office on February 6, alleging a pattern of inappropriate conduct, intimidation and administrative victimisation during her tenure.
According to the complaint, the doctor initially received appreciation from the administration following the establishment of the independent department, but relations later soured.
In her FIR, lodged at Panbazar Women Police Station in Guwahati, the doctor claimed that Dr Baishya repeatedly insisted she meet him alone in his office – despite routine official interactions being possible within hospital premises – and made remarks that made her uncomfortable.
In one exchange, she alleged that he asked her to call him when she was “absolutely free and alone” and suggested the “door was always open” for her to meet him, comments she described as unprofessional and distressing given the hierarchical context.
The complaint also details alleged administrative obstruction, including delays in appointing her as Head of Department, and resistance to her proposals for academic expansions. She said a subsequent notification dismantling her department and merging it with another deprived her of opportunities to advance mental health services she had pioneered.
According to the FIR, multiple victims are named in the document. Reacting to the allegations, Dr. Baishya said he had been instructed not to speak to the media and that he has prepared all necessary documentation for the inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Assam government has constituted a two-member committee headed by women officials to investigate the matter, and police have begun their preliminary investigation. The episode has sparked wider discussions on workplace conduct, gender sensitivity and institutional accountability in public healthcare institutions.
IANS
