Doctor suspended for �attempted rape�

The health ministry has temporarily suspended a senior doctor more than a year after he was accused of attempting to rape a colleague in Dhaka.
The accused, Dr Md Masud Iqbal, is an associate professor of nephrology at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital in the city. He was accused of trying to rape an assistant professor of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s nephrology department in a room at the National Kidney Institute in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station area on May 22, 2014.
Talking to The Independent yesterday, Asthma Taskin, deputy secretary of the health & family welfare ministry, confirmed the suspension order against the doctor.
On September 16, The Independent had published a report titled “No steps against accused physician”.
According to official documents, Syed Monjurul Islam, secretary to the health & family welfare ministry, had ordered Dr Iqbal’s suspension for three months, effective from September 19, in an official memo no. 45.150.027.01.00.124.2015-707/1(9).
As the Women and Children Repression Tribunal framed charges against Dr Iqbal on June 21 and the High Court had ordered his suspension for three months from October 19, he was suspended from his government job as per Note 2 of Part 1 of Rule 73 of the Bangladesh Service Rules (BSR), the suspension letter read.
The order was also sent to different officials, including to the ministry’s system analyst, for publishing it on the official website.
Dr Iqbal, however, claimed that he had not received any suspension letter against him. On Sep 19, the HC had ordered the health ministry to suspend the accused doctor for three months following a writ petition.
Sources said police submitted a charge sheet on August 6 last year, but some influential quarters were pressuring health ministry officials against taking any departmental action against the accused.

Doctor suspended for �attempted rape�

The health ministry has temporarily suspended a senior doctor more than a year after he was accused of attempting to rape a colleague in Dhaka. The accused, Dr Md Masud Iqbal, is an associate professor of nephrology at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital in the city. He was accused of trying to rape an assistant professor of Dhaka Medical College Hospitals nephrology department in a room at the National Kidney Institute in the citys Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station area on May 22, 2014. Talking to The Independent yesterday, Asthma Taskin, deputy secretary of the health family welfare ministry, confirmed the suspension order against the doctor. On September 16, The Independent had published a report titled No steps against accused physician. According to official documents, Syed Monjurul Islam, secretary to the health family welfare ministry, had ordered Dr Iqbals suspension for three months, effective from September 19, in an official memo no. 45.150.027.01.00.124.2015-707/1(9). As the Women and Children Repression Tribunal framed charges against Dr Iqbal on June 21 and the High Court had ordered his suspension for three months from October 19, he was suspended from his government job as per Note 2 of Part 1 of Rule 73 of the Bangladesh Service Rules (BSR), the suspension letter read. The order was also sent to different officials, including to the ministrys system analyst, for publishing it on the official website. Dr Iqbal, however, claimed that he had not received any suspension letter against him. On Sep 19, the HC had ordered the health ministry to suspend the accused doctor for three months following a writ petition. Sources said police submitted a charge sheet on August 6 last year, but some influential quarters were pressuring health ministry officials against taking any departmental action against the accused.