Karur: "At a time when women all over the country are still in great distress over the horrendous acts committed on the Hathras rape victim, it comes as a great shock that a person with a previous history of harassment against women is being nominated for an eminent position by the Government of India", Congress MP Jothimani wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Health questioning over the appointment of Dr. Shanmugam Subbaiah, ABVP leader as a board member of AIIMS Madurai.
Karur: "At a time when women all over the country are still in great distress over the horrendous acts committed on the Hathras rape victim, it comes as a great shock that a person with a previous history of harassment against women is being nominated for an eminent position by the Government of India", Congress MP Jothimani wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Health questioning over the appointment of Dr. Shanmugam Subbaiah, ABVP leader as a board member of AIIMS Madurai.
The appointment of Dr Shanmugam Subbiah, ABVP leader and Professor and Head (Department of Surgical Oncology), Kilpauk Medical College, as a board member of Madurai AIIMS board has raised the eyebrows of many who question the rationale of the union Government over his appointment despite a series of allegations of his unwarranted behaviour.
He was alleged to have harassed a senior woman citizen in Chennai by throwing garbage in front of her door and urinating in front of her door. Dr Shanmugam Subbiah is also the National President of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students wing of the BJP. Though the woman who complained against him later withdrew the complaint, her relative confessed that they had to it due to pressure.
Questioning the basis for his appointment, Congress MP Jothimani has penned a letter to Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Health and Family welfare seeking explanation of the same and revoking the order.
In her letter, the MP from Karur Constituency told, "It has come to my attention that the Government of India has appointed Dr. Shanmugam Subbiah as a member of All India institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Madurai board and would like to bring certain facts and my protest against his appointment to your notice.
Dr.Shanmugam Subbiah, the National President of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has been captured via camera urinating in front of a senior citizen woman’s house. He didn’t stop there and has crossed all bounds of decency by masturbating and littering in front of her house and has continuously harassed her for months. The woman had filed an official police complaint which had later been withdrawn alleged by pressure.
In light of the above incident, the BJP has chosen to ignore the plight of the women and refused to take any disciplinary action against him. To further aggravate the plight of the poor woman, the BJP has appointed Dr.Shanmugam Subbiah as a member of the board for AlIMS, Madurai.
This nomination further bolsters the claim that BJP has grown indifferent towards the troubles of women. The safety of women in our society is compromised without any sense of propriety and buttresses the patriarchal chauvinism of the BJP government.
I strongly condemn this insidious thought process of BJP to suppress women and exert dominance. Hence, urge to withdraw his nomination to this prestigious post and send a strong message to the women of the country that anyone who sexually harasses women will not be tolerated.
I would further like to draw your attention to the fact that there is a strong backlash to this appointment in Tamil Nadu and by women all over country. I hope that you will understand the sentiment of the people in Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, I request you to terminate Dr. Shanmugam Subbiah from the board of All India institute of Medical Science (AIMS) Madurai and take strict action against the individual in order to set an example to the nation.