The West Bengal government on July 24 appointed Prof (Dr) Pradip Kumar Mitra as the director of the state Medical Education Department removing Dr Debasish Bhattacharyya, a notification said.

The move seemed to be triggered by the two-week long hunger strike by students of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital demanding accommodation at a new hostel building. The students lifted their indefinite fast yesterday after the authorities conceded their demands.

Mitra, who was removed from the post of the SSKM Hospital's director following a controversy of arranging a dog's dialysis there in 2015, was currently posted as the OSD, multi/super specialty hospital. A notification issued by the state health and family welfare department said Dr Bhattacharyya of West Bengal Medical Education Service, who was posted as the director of state Medical Education, and ex-officio secretary Health and Family Welfare Department, was made the OSD in the health and family welfare department in the rank of director of medical education.