Bhujbal’s ‘innocent’ doctor writes to Maharashtra CM

A day after prison authorities sent back Dr Rahul Ghule for alleged gross professional misconduct by altering prison records, the former Arthur Road chief medical officer has shot another letter to the chief minister claiming his innocence and demanding a high level judicial inquiry into the allegations made against him.

On Friday, Bipin Kumar Singh, IG (prisons) spoke to mediapersons and alleged that Dr Ghule had fudged the register maintained for patients needing a hospital visit. “Former minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal had been referred to St. George Hospital for a dental check and the same was mentioned in the register. Dr Ghule altered the record and wrote that he needed medical check up due to which St. George admitted him in the medical OPD,” said Mr Singh. According to prison rules, a patient needing a visit to hospital should be escorted to JJ Hospital (a tertiary care centre) for medical treatment. The prison authorities alleged that Dr Ghule showed preferential treatment to Bhujbal.

The doctor on Saturday refuted the allegations and said that he had not fudged with any medical records of any inmates. “On April 18, Bhujbal called me through another prison official escorting him to the hospital and complained of chest pain, dizziness and other medical ailments. He mentioned that he wanted to get checked for other health issues too in addition to the dental check up referred. As a diligent doctor, I decided to go to the hospital and check for myself and then asked him to be admitted,” Dr Ghule said.

In his letter he had stated that he had informed medical superintendent Dr Bharat Bhosle of Bhujbal’s health development and his consequent admittance to the hospital. Dr Ghule also added that the Dr Prafull Bansode and Dr Bhosle with other prison authorities had decided to send Bhujbal to St. George Hospital instead of JJ Hospital. He further stated in his letter that these allegations are only an attempt to sling mud at his reputation and cover their tracks after he alleged that the prison authorities are involved in corruption. “Prison authorities take huge amounts of money to provide preferential treatment to influential and VIP prisoners in the jail,” he said.

Dr Ghule, who addressed the letter to the chief minister and home minister, has asked for a judicial inquiry and not the internal inquiry being conducted by prison authorities. “If this issue is not looked at, I will undertake a hunger strike. I hope the state takes these allegations seriously and justice is served,” he said.