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Shanmugha Subbiah’s appointment to AIIMS committee turns controversial

Tamil Nadu CM urged to write to Modi to remove Subbiah from the panel

Chennai: DMK president M.K. Stalin, several political leaders and many common people came down heavily on the appointment of Shanmugha Subbiah, a Chennai-based oncologist, who recently landed in a controversial woman harassment case, to the managing committee of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that is to come up in Madurai.

Urging Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to write to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Subbiah from the committee and appoint Members of Parliament from the State. Stalin said Subbiah, ABVP national president, had indulged in indecent behavior in front of his neighbour’s apartment following a fight with the woman over the use of the parking lot allotted to her.

The incident that happened in July had created a sensation then as several allegations against Subbiah came out when the women’s harassment case had hit media headlines. The woman neighbor was also forced to withdraw the complaint, which allowed the doctor to get away from the case.

Demanding his immediate removal from the committee, TNCC President K S Alagiri said a massive protest would be organized by the Youth Congress cadre if it was not replaced. In a statement, Alagiri recalled that it was the Tamil Nadu Congress Student wing president Aswathaman who complained to the police about the continuous harassment by Subbiah to his woman neighbor.

DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi tweeted ‘This is an endorsement of indecent behavior and also an incentive for other BJP cadre to follow suit?’ and many other Twitter users posted their comments against the appointment of Subbiah that the hashtag #AIIMS started trending.

Congress MP Jothimani reproduced her letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Varadhan referring to the past behavior of the AIIMS committee member while dealing with his lone woman neighbour. Even news channels started referring to Subbiah as the doctor who ‘urinated at the woman’s door’, the image of which was caught in CCTV cameras.

Interestingly among those who tweeted against the appointment were some doctors, who opposed the move. Subbiah was the only doctor from the State to be appointed for the proposed AIIMS.

Meanwhile, a Twitter user pointed out that Subbiah has been appointed as one of the directors for the proposed IIT in Palakkad, asking, ‘Does a premier institute in Kerala require a thug like this?’

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