The Trinamool Congress (TMC) member recently arrested by the CBI in connection with the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital probe appears to have garnered little sympathy.

On Thursday evening, Ashish Pandey, a doctor and former staff member at R G Kar, was taken into custody as part of the investigation into alleged financial misconduct at the institution. A member of the TMC Youth Wing, Pandey has been accused by junior doctors—who have been protesting against a rape and murder incident at the hospital—of being the central figure in a “threat culture” there. They claim he regularly harasses junior medical staff.

A junior doctor at R G Kar told The Indian Express: “Pandey is the main figure, after Sandip Ghosh, at the root of all corruption and the threat culture at the Medical College and Hospital. In government medical colleges, securing a house staff position is incredibly difficult, yet Pandey managed to do so twice due to his extensive influence within the state health system.”

When questioned about Pandey and any potential actions against him, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) state president Trinankur Bhattacharya stated, “He is not our leader and not even a prominent face. He may just be a general member of the TMCP, and there are thousands like him. So, what action can we take against him?”

On September 25, when Pandey was summoned by R G Kar’s disciplinary committee for questioning, he was confronted by protesting junior doctors.

An R G Kar alumnus, now an associate professor at the hospital, corroborated the junior doctors’ claims, recalling how Pandey and his team “forcibly shut down the alumni office and physically harassed former students,” allegedly at the behest of then-principal Sandip Ghosh. “Instead of addressing our complaints against Pandey, the police harassed us.”

Former TMC MP Santanu Sen, critical of the party’s handling of the R G Kar situation, expressed that Pandey’s arrest was not unexpected. “This notorious Ashish Pandey was known for various forms of corruption, including intimidating juniors, extorting money for festivals, influencing exam outcomes, leaking questions, ragging in hostels, illegally granting house staff positions, and even assaulting senior doctors while shutting down the alumni association’s office.”

Sen further alleged that Pandey launched a personal campaign against both him and his daughter, a student at R G Kar. “Pandey attempted to tarnish my reputation, campaigned against me, circulated false posters in my name, and even physically assaulted me.”

The CBI first questioned Pandey regarding the alleged financial irregularities at R G Kar, alongside other TMC doctor leaders, such as Avik Dey and Birupaksha Biswas.

Prior to Pandey’s arrest, the CBI had detained Sandip Ghosh, the principal of R G Kar at the time of the rape and murder, along with three others related to the investigation into financial misconduct.