Opposition accuse BSP of protecting accused

The opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh on Monday charged the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party of shielding officials of a private hospital who are accused of forcibly taking sexual favours from students to award them certificates.

The opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh on Monday charged the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of shielding officials of a private hospital who are accused of forcibly taking sexual favours from students to award them certificates.

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Students of a private hospital in Lucknow Sunday lodged an FIR against the administration of K.K. Hospital, accusing them of forcibly taking sexual favours from students to award them certificates.

Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, who also met Governor B.L. Joshi, demanded strict action against the accused. "The government is trying to protect the accused and we demand that the National Security Act be imposed on them", he told media persons after meeting the governor.

The Samajwadi Party also made similar allegations. "The accused are very close to the ruling party and they belong to the kitchen cabinet of Chief Minister Mayawati. That is why they were released soon after their arrest," Rajendra Chaudhary, the party's spokesperson, said.

The matter came to light when a student of K.K. Hospital, Anamika (name changed), conducted a sting operation when the PRO of the hospital called her to his house Saturday night.

The police arrested Kamal Kant Singh, the director of the hospital, and his elder brother, Krishna Kant Singh Sunday. The PRO, Ramjilal Vajpai, is still on the run. However, the Singh brothers were released on bail late Sunday night from the police station itself.

"While Kamal Kant was having a problem in his leg and was not able to walk, Krishna Kant was having chest pain. This is why they were granted bail and both are admitted in a hospital for treatement," police spokesperson A.K. Pathak told IANS.

The girl, not willing to be named, told mediapersons Sunday: "I am doing a three-and-a-half-year nursing diploma in the K.K. Hospital and have completed over two years. However, my attendance was short, and the PRO, Ramjilal Vajpai, asked me for sexual favours in order to bypass the requirement. He was exploiting me for the past few months after which I decided to perform the sting operation and expose them."

Another student, Satyabhama Singh, who lodged an FIR against the hospital administration at the Vazeerganj police station also accused the hospital administration of exploiting the girls.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Lucknow, Prem Prakash said: "Initial investigations have revealed that the racket was going on for a long time."

According to officials, Krishna Kant Singh is a professor in the surgery department of the Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) and has a "dubious history".

"Krishna Kant Singh has been suspended a number of times and has been found to be involved in issuance of fake degrees. Currently he is under suspension," a police officer said.

The K.K. Hospital is located right in front of the district police headquarters in Vazeerganj locality.