Srinagar: The students at the Government Medical College have been bearing the physical and mental torture at the hands of teachers from past several years. However, the mess has come to the fore recently only after the students raised their voice against the behaviour that they are subjected to.

Dr Irfan ul Hassan, currently working as Associate Professor at the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Dasmesh Institute of Research and Dental Sciences Faridkot, Punjab was ready to ‘pick up gun’ out of frustration when he too was subjected to physical abuse by Dr Muhammad Mushtaq way back in 2006 when he was doing his internship at GDC.

While talking exclusively to ‘Kashmir Vision’ Dr Irfan said that such a thing has been happening there since then, or even before.

“But so far nobody had dared to speak out. It has only come to the fore when the students were recently again subjected to the same harassment,” he said.

Dr Irfan had done his BDS from Bangalore and came to Kashmir in 2006 and started working at GDC as intern under Dr Muhammad Mushtaq.

“While I was working as an intern, one day he came out of nowhere and slapped me five to six times in one go, after that he pushed me and called the security to take me out,” he said, “I was thrown out and the incident really depressed me, I was literally crying,” he sighed.

After the incident, Dr Irfan went home and informed his father, who advised him to inform the Principal, Dr Reyaz Farooq next day. “When I went to him the other day, he said that you are here for internship and all I can do is relieve you and send you back to your parent institute,” Dr Irfan said, quoting the Principal.

“There were only 12 days left in the completion of my internship at GDC, but, I was literally frustrated and told my father that I cannot continue there,” he said.

In spite of taking any action against the Professor, Dr Irfan said that he (Principal) told him that he (Dr Muhammad Mushtaq) is the Professor, “he can do whatever he wants, who are you!” he said.

What is interesting here to note that, due to the frustration that overpowered Dr Irfan, he says that he was literally asking himself whether he should pick up a gun to avenge whatever was being done to him.

“I was thinking about doing such a thing, because my career was at stake; I was willing to fight back, but there was no support. I was weak,” he said.

Amid all this, Dr Irfan was finally forced to move out of the state and pursue his Post-Graduation from a University in Karnataka. “Whatever happened to me at GDC forced me and even my family to send me out, and now I am an Associate Professor, which I couldn’t have become if I would have accepted that mental and physical torture,” he said.

The mess that has entangled GDC, observers are saying, is proving to be detrimental to the healthcare, as such behaviour is intolerable and is forcing students to move out and pursue their career out of the state, where the services of such doctors could have benefitted the state’s healthcare.

Pertinently, the students at GDC are on continuous strike from last ten days and are demanding immediate termination of the concerned head of the department Orthodontics, Dr Muhammad Mushtaq.

The government has also initiated an enquiry into the matter, the interim enquiry report has been completed and stands submitted to the government. 

Guest