OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: The alleged fake pharmacist controversy at Bogapani Tea Estate has snowballed into a major administrative embarrassment, with the Medical Inspector of Plantation (MIP) reportedly detecting anomalies in the credentials submitted by pharmacist Kameswar Kalita even as documentary evidence suggests that repeated warnings from a professional body had reached the estate management months before the official inquiry but allegedly failed to trigger timely verification.
The controversy has assumed a fresh dimension after Kalita resigned while the inquiry into his professional credentials was still underway. His resignation, coupled with the MIP’s reported findings, has intensified scrutiny over the estate’s recruitment and verification practices and raised questions over whether early warnings were overlooked despite repeated representations.
However, despite the report, instead of initiating immediate disciplinary proceedings, the MIP allowed the resigned pharmacist two months to furnish original educational certificates, Assam Pharmacy Council registration records, and other supporting documents to establish the authenticity of his credentials. Estate officials said that the extension was granted in adherence to the principles of natural justice before any final decision is taken.
According to an office-bearer of the Association of Registered Pharmacists Assam (ARPA), Kameswar Kalita submitted Assam Pharmacy Council Registration No. 1473 before the Medical Inspector of Plantation, a fact which, the association claimed, was confirmed during a telephonic interaction. The ARPA official further alleged that a search of the publicly accessible records of the Assam Pharmacy Council did not show Kalita’s name against Registration No. 1473. Instead, the registration number corresponded to Shiak Mahamadin, whose registration, according to the association, was not regularised subsequently. The Assam Pharmacy Council had not issued any official clarification on the claim till the filing of this report, and the assertion remains independently unverified.
When contacted, the Deputy Manager of Bogapani tea estate maintained that the local management was not the final decision-making authority. “We can at best escalate the findings of the Medical Inspector of Plantation to the higher competent authority for a final decision,” he told The Sentinel. The Garden Superintendent, however, is yet to issue any official statement.
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