A government doctor in Sivaganga district, Dr. Markandan, is in hot water. He's been accused of everything from skipping his government job to run his own private clinics, to financial fraud and even sexual harassment. His colleagues claim that the District Health Officer, Meenakshi, is covering for him.
Dr. Markandan is the Block Medical Officer (BMO) at the Muthanenthal Government Primary Health Centre in Sivaganga district. But for the last seven years, his actions have left local people feeling utterly cheated. A local social activist, Shanmugam, puts it bluntly: “A doctor is supposed to save lives. He gets a fat salary from our tax money. For him to engage in daylight robbery like this is the lowest of the low. Dr. Markandan is supposed to be doing medical work, but instead, he’s involved in all sorts of criminal activities.”
Government Salary, Private Clinic
Dr. Markandan is meant to be a full-time doctor at the government hospital, treating poor and needy patients. Instead, he allegedly runs two private clinics of his own, one in Idaikattur and another in Manamadurai. He simply doesn't show up for his government duty, using that time to run his private practice. For years, local residents and activists have been complaining about how he’s been fooling district-level officials and running both clinics simultaneously. But Markandan doesn't seem to care. He allegedly uses local goons like Pandivel to threaten his colleagues and openly challenges everyone, saying, “Nobody can do anything to me.”
His previous boss apparently turned a blind eye to his antics, which made him even more brazen. Now, when new officials and the District Collector started investigating his criminal activities, he has reportedly started threatening to file complaints against them too.
A video allegedly shows Muthanenthal BMO Markandan caught red-handed. While he was supposed to be on government duty, he was running his own clinics in Idaikattur and Manamadurai, fooling the authorities. @CMOTamilnadupic.twitter.com/S11TOxtqBV
— Thiraviaraj RM (@RMTHIRAVIARAJRM) June 20, 2026
Local residents share their frustration: “Last year, the District Health Officer, Dr. Meenakshi, appointed Markandan, who was then a mobile medical unit doctor, as the Block Medical Officer. His schedule was simple: morning till afternoon at his Idaikattur clinic, and evenings at his Manamadurai clinic. He would make a token ‘visit’ to his government job just once a week, on Fridays. For the other six days, he was nowhere to be seen near the government hospital. He was drawing a salary of lakhs from the government, but using that time to fill his own pockets.”
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He has been fooling the government and his superiors with fake reports. For the past two years, he has been sending information to higher-ups claiming he was out in the field with the mobile medical team, treating people. His accomplice in this is said to be a staff nurse named Akkini Veeran, who allegedly acts with the authority of a doctor in the mobile unit.
Partners in Crime
Akkini Veeran reportedly carries out the fieldwork that Markandan is supposed to do. In return, Akkini gets to act like a ‘big doctor’ in the area. His high-handedness with the primary health centre staff is apparently a huge problem. This duo allegedly threatens contract employees like drivers and cleaners with job loss to keep their illegal activities under wraps.
Furthermore, as the BMO, Dr. Markandan is the only one who can handle government funds meant for medical services. He allegedly took advantage of this and transferred ₹11 lakh to his personal account last year. The district administration has reportedly audited and confirmed this with evidence.
Theft with the Help of Local Goons
That's not all. If doctors in charge of other primary health centres under his administration go on leave, he allegedly goes there and steals essential supplies with the help of local goons. People from the area have filed complaints about this, and the District Collector's own investigation has confirmed it.
To cover up his own misdeeds, Markandan allegedly threatens his fellow medical staff. He is accused of sending a local goon, Pandivel, into the government hospital to intimidate doctors. Victims have filed complaints at local police stations. He also reportedly plants defamatory stories about his colleagues in local papers and files false complaints against them. “We have submitted so many petitions to senior district officials. But whenever the administration tries to investigate and take action, Markandan threatens to sue the senior officers,” the locals say, fuming.
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Sexual Harassment Allegations
Apart from dereliction of duty, fraud, and intimidation, Markandan’s behaviour with female colleagues has also come under fire. Visalakshi, a government nurse who allegedly faced sexual harassment from him, says, “Markandan is unfit to be a doctor. He constantly speaks to female colleagues with double meanings and harasses them. He sexually tortured me in 2018. I complained to senior officials, and he faced action for it. The district officer at the time, a woman, was so strict that she barred him from even entering the hospital.”
She adds that many poor women from rural areas who work at the hospital suffer in silence, too scared to speak out against his double-meaning talk and harassment. He even speaks disrespectfully in the singular to senior female staff during weekly review meetings, which is a gross abuse of power. “Despite all his disgusting behaviour, District Health Officer Meenakshi has been supporting him. Her backing is what gives him the guts to be so outrageous,” she claims.
'What Can You Do With a Video?'
“Now that Dr. Meenakshi is on a long leave, the acting officials and the District Collector are trying to investigate Markandan's scams. But he’s threatening to file cases against them,” people allege.
To verify these public complaints, journalists from print and other media conducted a secret surveillance for weeks. They caught Dr. Markandan on a GPS-enabled camera, attending to his private clinic during the very hours he was supposed to be on duty at the government hospital. When confronted with the video evidence, he reportedly challenged them, saying, “What can you do to me with a video? Go ahead, do what you can.”
Why is Dr. Meenakshi So Supportive of Markandan?
When we looked into why District Medical Officer Meenakshi would support Dr. Markandan so much, we found more allegations. She has reportedly been arranging for people from the Isha Yoga Centre to come to the district health office and give PowerPoint presentations about Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and his centre. Staff were allegedly instructed to wear a Rudraksha, and even those who were unwilling had to line up and receive one due to pressure from the district officer. A photo of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was apparently kept, and everyone was told to worship it.
After that, she allegedly instructed everyone in the office WhatsApp group to download a popular yoga app and post a review daily. She also told them to listen to its instructions for an hour every day. Employees who didn't want to or failed to do so were allegedly scolded and had report papers thrown in their faces. Dr. Markandan is said to be her main supporter in all this. That’s why any complaint against him is simply dismissed by the medical officer, leaving the staff feeling extremely stressed.
Sivaganga district government medical employees complain that Dr. Meenakshi spends over an hour in the morning and evening ‘meditating’ during office hours, making staff wait for hours just to get her signature on official files.
Against the Rules
According to the Tamil Nadu Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1973, and Central Civil Services Rules, government employees are not supposed to favour or oppose any particular religion during their official duties. Using government office premises for religious propaganda, spiritual discourses, or other such services is against the rules. The question is, are Dr. Meenakshi and Dr. Markandan an exception to these rules?
