Patna hospital chief faces harassment charge

A female faculty member of a nursing institution under Patna’s top super-speciality hospital has accused its director of making an ‘indecent proposal’ to her and of harassing her when she declined it. Ruchir Kumar reports.

A female faculty member of a nursing institution under Patna’s top super-speciality hospital has accused its director of making an ‘indecent proposal’ to her and of harassing her when she declined it.

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The complainant alleged that she had been demoted from her post at the College of Nursing and served a termination show-cause notice for rejecting the alleged advances of Arun Kumar, director of the Indira Gandhi institute of medical sciences (IGIMS).

"I am not being assigned any work and being marked absent. My salary has been stopped,” she told HT.

In her complaint to the gender harassment committee of the IGIMS, the woman accused the director of harassing her so that she accepted his proposal.

The complainant also referred her complaint to the state’s health minister and to the Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC).

Confirming that he had received the complaint, BHRC chairperson Justice (retd) SN Jha told HT, “The complainant has alleged that she was being harassed because she declined the ‘sexual advances' of the director. I have sought a report from the health department, which has constituted a committee to probe the matter. The committee’s report is awaited.”

Kumar initially feigned ignorance about any such complaint against him, but when told that the BHRC chief had confirmed having received the complaint, he denied any wrongdoing.

“I will move the high court. As director, I take many decisions. Anyone not satisfied with a decision may slap a sexual harassment charge on me,” he said.