Kolkata, Dec 6 (IANS): Rebel Trinamool Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha member, Santanu Sen, a medical practitioner by profession, has been removed as a state-government nominated member of the West Bengal Medical Council.

Sen had turned a rebel over the recent incident of rape and murder of a junior woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata in August this year and at that point in time, had made some comments that posed an embarrassment for his party.

Last month, Trinamool legislator and the Council President, Sudipto Roy, also a medical practitioner, sent a letter to the state Health & Family Welfare department seeking Sen’s removal from that chair.

In the letter to Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Narayan Swarup Nigam, Roy stated that Sen should be removed from the body because of his absence in six consecutive meetings of the council since January 1, 2024, without proper excuse and hence, he should be deemed to have vacated his post.

Finally, the Health & Family Welfare Department accepted the proposal of Roy and on Friday, announced the decision to remove Sen from the council.

However, the state government is yet to announce the name of Sen’s replacements.

State government sources said that the name of the replacement is expected to be announced by next week. A cold war between Roy and Sen started brewing when the R.G. Kar tragedy surfaced, with Sen becoming vocal against a section of the state healthcare system. Things worsened further over the central agency probe on the financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, as a part of which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted raid and search operations at the residence and hospital of Roy in north Kolkata and also questioned him at the central agency office.