Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 1:

With junior doctors announcing their decision to go on ceasework from Thursday, a worried Odisha government today cracked the whip against a senior doctor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital for his alleged involvement in the sexual harassment of women students.

scb"The state government has transferred the accused doctor Dr Sitaram Mohapatra, head of the department of Pathology, to the Health department with immediate effect," Health and Family Welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told the media here.

A departmental inquiry is already on against him and action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry, he added.

The minister said office bearers of the junior doctors had met him and asked for immediate action against the accused. "Now that action has been taken against him, Ii appeal to the junior doctors to call off their proposed cease work and to rejoin duty," he said.

Meanwhile, there is no news on the whereabouts of the accused professor, who has remained at large after the allegations against him came to the fore.

It may be mentioned that the junior doctors, who had taken up the matter with the State Commission for Women (SCW) and the Commissionerate Police, wore black badges from Monday and had announced their decision to go on cease work if no action is taken against Ddr. Mohapatra by then.

At least 15 junior lady doctors of the SCBMCH had alleged that the professor had sexually harassed and intimidated them

The affected medicos of the Pathology department of the SCBMCH had lodged a complaint over a fortnight ago accusing Prof Mohapatra of sexually harassing them over the last few months.

They had also alleged that every time they resisted his advances, Prof Mohapatra threatened to spoil their career.

Before going into hiding, Prof Dr Mohapatra had denied the allegation, which he said was being levelled against him because he was strict with the students.