World-renowned ENT specialist Professor Dr Pran Gopal Dutta has reportedly joined Tripura Santiniketan Medical College & Hospital in Agartala as a teacher. The former Bangladesh vice-chancellor and internationally acclaimed surgeon is now contributing to medical education in Tripura while holding temporary permission from Indian authorities.
At a time when the issue of private practice by government doctors has sparked a debate across Tripura, news of one of the world’s leading ENT specialists reportedly taking up teaching responsibilities at a private medical college in Agartala has created considerable interest on social media.
Former Bangladesh parliamentarian and internationally acclaimed ENT specialist Professor Dr Pran Gopal Dutta is reportedly engaged in teaching medical students at Tripura Santiniketan Medical College & Hospital.
An accomplished academic and surgeon, Dr Dutta completed his MBBS from Chittagong Medical College in 1976, earned his PhD from Odessa State Medical University (Ukraine) in 1983 and obtained an MSc in Audiological Medicine from the University of Manchester (UK) in 1993. He has received training and worked with several internationally recognised ENT experts like Hans-Peter Zenner of the University of Tübingen (Germany). Datta also worked closely with Prof. Armin Löwe of Heidelberg University for the establishment of Bangladesh’s first diagnostic clinic for hearing-impaired children and has contributed to research in areas including throat cancer, immunity, developmental disorders and autism.
However, after August 5, 2024 when Dr Mohammed Yunus government assumed power in Dhaka and there were sweeping violence and arrests of intellectuals, academics and Hindus in Bangladesh this internationally famous doctor, along with several other former Awami League leaders and public representatives had to flee from the country. He was then reported to have come to Tripura and ultimately with the consent of the Indian authorities took up the teaching profession in Agartala.
It is learnt that when question arose whether a foreign national could legally serve patients in India, it was said that Dr. Dutta had been granted temporary permission by the National Medical Commission (NMC) under Section 34 of the NMC Act, 2019. The authorization, valid until October 12, 2026, allowed him to render charitable medical care. The Tripura State Medical Council has also issued him a temporary registration (No. 004101), enabling him to practice within the state.
The development came to public attention after a classroom video, uploaded recently on the college’s official YouTube channel, went viral on social media platforms, leading to discussions in both India and Bangladesh.
The video shows Dr Dutta delivering a lecture to medical students in a modern classroom equipped with digital learning facilities. Medical topics were displayed on a large digital screen behind him, and reports suggest that the lecture was related to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department.
A staff nurse of the institution on Saturday confirmed that Dr Dutta had been conducting regular classes for students. However, she could not immediately provide details about when he joined the institution, stating that senior authorities would be able to share further information about his association with the college.
Dr Pran Gopal Dutta was regarded as one of Bangladesh’s most respected ENT specialists. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (currently Bangladesh Medical University) and was honoured with Bangladesh’s Independence Award in 2012 for his contribution to the field of medicine.
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Apart from his medical career, Dr Dutta also entered politics and was elected to the Bangladesh Parliament from the Cumilla-7 (Chandina) constituency as an Awami League candidate. He has also been associated as a lecturer with several major institutions in Bangladesh, including the National Defence College, Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management, Judicial Administration Training Institute, Bangladesh Police Academy and Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development. He, nevertheless, had to flee from Bangladesh.
His reported academic engagement in Agartala has now drawn attention, with discussions centring around the presence of the eminent physician in India and his contribution to medical education in Tripura.
