Suspended Surat HOD Accused Of Harassment, Religious Pressure And Misusing Government Resources

Fresh allegations have emerged against Dr Sumaiya Mulla, the suspended Head of the Microbiology Department at Surat Civil Hospital, with former students and staff accusing her of misusing government resources, exploiting students for personal work and creating a hostile academic environment.

The allegations come days after the Gujarat Health and Family Welfare Department suspended Mulla for 90 days following the death of resident doctor Dr Harsh Pandya, who was allegedly subjected to ragging and mental harassment. The claims made by former students have not been independently verified.

A former student alleged that Mulla treated the department's equipment and staff as her personal resources and used government facilities for a private laboratory.

According to the allegation, when testing kits at the private laboratory ran out, students or staff were allegedly asked to collect kits from the Civil Hospital. The former student claimed that on one occasion, a college room was opened at around 9 pm with security assistance to obtain the required material.

The former student also alleged that expensive machines and computers brought to the hospital for seasonal leptospirosis testing were subsequently moved to the private laboratory, where they were allegedly used by Mulla's husband.