A day after Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Director Dr Raj Kumar abruptly resigned within 24 hours of a CID raid on the institute’s campus, a four-page confidential letter he had written to health minister Dr Irfan Ansari on June 8 surfaced on Friday. In the letter, Dr Kumar alleged that he had been subjected to a year-long campaign of administrative harassment, malicious targeting, and mental anguish, allegedly orchestrated by the health department’s additional chief secretary.Former RIMS director Dr Raj Kumar. (HT Photo)The letter, a copy of which is available with Hindustan Times, accused the Health Department of contempt of court, alleging that it continued its inquiry against him and his son, Rishabh Kumar, despite a favourable order from the Jharkhand High Court granting them relief. The letter also alleged a systematic attempt to manipulate institutional records and use local media as a tool to target and discredit him.In the letter, Dr Raj Kumar stated that since assuming charge as RIMS Director on February 12, 2024, he had devoted himself to the institution’s overall development, focusing on improving patient care facilities and upgrading its deteriorating infrastructure. However, he alleged that over the past year, additional chief secretary Ajay Kumar Singh had kept the health minister in the dark while carrying out “oppressive measures” aimed at forcing him out of office.“Since taking charge as Director of RIMS on February 12, 2024, I have been continuously working towards the institution’s overall development by improving patient facilities, renovating old and dilapidated buildings, introducing new academic courses, and increasing student intake. However, for the past one year, the department’s additional chief secretary, while keeping you in the dark, has subjected me to continuous harassment and made persistent attempts to remove me from the post of Director, RIMS,” the letter states.Dr Kumar meticulously outlines a series of events to back his claim. He in his letter mentioned that during the 59th Governing Council meeting in April 15, 2025, his service was terminated on April 17, 2025 under the guise of ‘unsatisfactory performance’ and he had to knock the door of Jharkhand High Court, which stayed the termination.He further mentioned that on May 9, department issued a fresh 11-point show cause notice. For which he had to again knock the door of high court, which on July 2 stayed the further proceedings in the matter.“....the High Court stayed my termination, and on the next hearing date, the Advocate General admitted the termination order was flawed and withdrew it. In light of the court’s order, along with the Withdrawal of Termination (by court order) on 09.05.2025, a Show Cause notice on 11 points was issued to me from your level via Letter No. 363/Go. dated 09.05.2025,” the letter reads.He claimed that when he countered the show-cause with hard evidence, officials bypassed standard procedures to run a clandestine signature campaign among Governing Council members to secure his ouster. According to him, the plot collapsed when key honorary members, including the local Kanke MLA Suresh Baitha, and a Member of Parliament (Union Minister of State for Defence), Sanjay Seth refused to sign, questioning the logic of bypassing a High Court reinstatement.“Against the Show Cause notice, I filed Case No. 3502/2025 in the Honorable High Court of Jharkhand on 02.07.2025, upon which the Honourable Court stayed any further action........(After the court stayed further action)......A secret signature campaign was clandestinely run among the members of the Governing Body via circulation to pass a resolution to remove me from the post of Director. I came to know about this action only when the news was published in a local newspaper. The local MLA (Kanke) and the Honourable MP (Central Minister of State for Defence), who are also honorary members of the Governing Body, refused to sign the resolution, questioning the justification of removing the Director again when he was reinstated by the Honourable Court,” the letter reads.The letter further alleged a systematic attempt to distort institutional records and use local media against him. He said that during the 64th Governing Council meeting on February 3, 2026, it was decided to file an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the High Court to present the council’s side factually. However, the draft sent to the leadership was withheld for over two months. When returned, the final resolution had been completely altered to declare Dr Kumar’s explanations “unsatisfactory,” effectively shifting the narrative behind closed doors.The former director directly accused the health department of supplying local media outlets with “half-truths” and fabricated negative stories in a deliberate attempt to tarnish his personal and professional reputation.The letter also sheds light on the highly publicised dispute involving his son, Rishabh Kumar. Dr Kumar defended his son’s selection as a senior resident in hospital administration, asserting that his son was the sole unreserved candidate who applied. He said a selection committee led by the Academic Dean formally cleared the appointment.He alleged that despite genuine appointment, the health department abruptly suspended the appointment on April 1, 2026, and formed a probe committee. He alleged that though the Jharkhand High Court stayed this suspension on May 14, 2026 ruling that the Chairman had no sole authority to halt it, he was still forced to appear before the Divisional Commissioner with all documents on May 19, 2026, in a blatant contempt of court orders.JD(U) MLA Saryu Roy expressed concern over the allegations levelled in the letter and sought chief minister Hemant Soren’s intervention.“The letter reveals how pressure was exerted on both the RIMS Governing Body and Dr Raj Kumar over various matters. Attempts were made to initiate action against him despite existing judicial orders, and efforts were allegedly made to harass him through false cases. The letter also sheds light on irregularities in the functioning of both RIMS and the Health Department,” Roy said in a statement seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention.Roy further pointed out that Dr Raj Kumar belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and had previously earned widespread praise for his contributions and administrative work.“Dr Raj Kumar belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and has previously discharged responsibilities at similar levels with distinction, earning praise and recognition on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, every capable Director who has served at RIMS has been forced to leave prematurely for one reason or another. Dr Raj Kumar is a qualified neurologist who has performed several complex neurosurgical procedures at RIMS. Under these circumstances, it appears that the Health Department is exerting undue pressure on the administration of RIMS,” the statement further said.Roy remarked that if the situation continues, no doctor, regardless of qualifications or experience, would be able to improve the work culture at RIMS while serving as its Director.Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari and Ajoy Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, could not be reached for comment on the matter.