Bagalkot: Bagalkot district health officer (DHO) Dr Rajkumar Yaragal was suspended on Friday over alleged fraud involving his daughter, Dr Ankita Yaragal.In his suspension order, Gurudatta Hegde, commissioner of health and family welfare services, Karnataka, said Dr Rajkumar was suspended on charges of dereliction of duty and negligence.“Dr Rajkumar has neglected the issue of unauthorised absence of Dr Ankita, who was working as a medical officer at Wambe Colony, Bagalkot, and pursuing PG course. Dr Rajkumar also won’t be present in his office regularly,” the order stated.Health department sources said Dr Ankita joined as a medical officer in July 2025 and enrolled in an MD in pathology, a full-time course at a private medical college, in March 2026 without officially informing the department.The matter came to light after residents complained about the medical officer’s prolonged absence from Namma Clinic in Wambe Colony. Taluk health officer Dr Saraswati Magi, who visited the clinic last week, said she called Dr Ankita and was told she was out of station. She instructed her to report for duty and said she was unaware that Dr Ankita was pursuing studies at a private medical college.Following media reports, Dr Rajkumar Yaragal, also her father, issued an order on Sept 12 relieving her from duty with immediate effect. He also said any financial loss caused to the govt exchequer would be recovered.“Since Dr Ankita is married and lives with her husband, I was unaware of her work as a medical officer. As we learnt it, we had deferred her salaries for two months when we assumed charge as DHO,” he said.It is said that Dr Ankita was drawing a salary of over Rs 70,000 per month. She remained absent from an inquiry convened by Bagalkot ZP CEO Gajanan Bale on Sept 15. Dr Ankita is the niece of Bagalkot Congress MLA Meti.
