Tamil Nadu govt suspends doctor, ex-ABVP chief for violating service rules

Former ABVP president Dr Subbiah Shanmugam, who is the Head of Surgical Oncology at a government hospital here, was on Thursday placed under suspension for “violating the service rules” by meeting activists of the outfit in jail.

The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) placed Dr Shanmugam under suspension following complaints that he was involved in political party activities in contradiction with the Tamil Nadu government servants' conduct rules.

Dr Shanmugam, who heads the Surgical Oncology department at the Government Royapettah Hospital, is believed to have visited Nidhi Tripathi, general secretary of ABVP, at the Puzhal Central prison here. Tripathi along with 31 others was arrested on February 15 for picketing the residence of Chief Minister M K Stalin on the issue of the suicide of a 17-year-old girl, whose case is now being investigated by the CBI.

Besides visiting Tripathi at the prison, Shanmugam also accompanied a delegation of ABVP leaders to Raj Bhavan on Wednesday to complain against the government over the arrest of 32 activists, official sources said.

However, Governor R N Ravi, the sources said, avoided Shanmugam and allowed only others who were part of the delegation to meet him and present a memorandum. “He (Dr Shanmugam) violated the conduct rules and he has been placed under suspension for involving himself in political activities,” a source said.

This is not the first time that Shanmugam has landed in controversy – he was booked under various sections of the IPC in July 2020 for urinating outside the apartment of an elderly lady in Chennai over an argument on parking space.

Based on a complaint from the woman’s relative, Shanmugam was booked under sections 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and 427 (mischief causing damage) under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Prevention Act.

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