Research ‘fraud’ case referred to HR panel at PGI

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19

The PGI has referred a case of alleged research fraud to its HR committee. The case, which dates back to 2014, involves Prof Amitava Chakrabarti, who superannuated as Head, Department of Pharmacology.

The action was taken after the PGI governing body decided that the matter should be referred to the HR committee for consideration. The body also ratified the move of the institute to charge sheet Dr Chakrabarti.

“I have no idea how long the committee will take to come up with its report,” said PGI spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar.

Prof Chakrabarti was indicted in three inquiries. However, the PGI ordered a fourth inquiry by a single-member panel under Dr D Behera, professor of pulmonary medicine at the PGI. The panel gave him a clean chit.

Earlier, Prof Chakrabarti had claimed that the fourth inquiry against him was conducted in accordance with the Service Rules following issuance of the charge memo. He had also claimed that the inquiry conducted by Dr Behera found several shortcomings in the earlier probe reports, such as the faculty members concerned not being cross-questioned and improper investigation of the data concerned.

The matter came to light when media reports highlighted how the drug information unit at the PGI — a helpline for doctors run by the Pharmacology Department — purportedly received just one call in three years (2011 to 2013), but three doctors published a paper claiming it received 56 calls in a month.