Medical varsity VC misses London flight amid Vigilance probe in ‘financial irregularities’

The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) has found itself at the centre of a major controversy as the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) investigations have alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of medical equipment etc at Guru Gobind Singh Government Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH), a constituent college of the university.The issue came to a head on Saturday evening when the BFUHS Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr Rajeev Sood was stopped from boarding a London-bound flight by the immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi.

Sources said the VB had alerted immigration officials, asking them to obtain a written undertaking from Dr Sood before allowing him to travel abroad. In the undertaking, the VC was expected to declare that he was prepared to face any consequences resulting from the ongoing vigilance inquiry. Dr Sood refused to provide such an undertaking, leading him to miss his scheduled flight to London, where he was to join his family.

Speaking to The Tribune, Dr Sood expressed strong resentment at the situation. “I have not committed any crime. No FIR has been lodged against me, and there is no inquiry against me personally. The VB is investigating alleged irregularities in purchases made at the GGSMCH. My office has no involvement in the matter,” he said.

Dr Sood further clarified that as VC, he was responsible for overseeing 117 medical and allied institutions across Punjab. “If any irregularity is reported from a constituent college, it is not fair to hold the VC personally accountable,” he said.

He added that two hours before his flight, he received an email from the VB, stating that as the state government had not yet approved his Ex-India leave, he was advised not to travel. “In the past, such approvals are often granted even after the visit is completed, so I had treated this as a routine matter. But asking for an undertaking from me was unprecedented,” he said.

The VB probe was initiated after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arsh Sachar from Faridkot raised an alarm over the alleged financial mismanagement in the GGSMCH purchases. While Sachar is facing strong opposition from Faridkot AAP MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon for making such allegations aimed at tarnishing the image of the medical college, a senior member of the university’s Board of Management reportedly wrote to the VB seeking an official investigation following Sachar’s whistle-blowing.

Gurmeet Singh, SSP Vigilance, refused to comment on the matter, citing the ongoing nature of the probe. “The investigation is already on. I cannot comment at this stage,” he said.

Punjab