Amid the uproar over the recent rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, a lab technician at another state-run hospital in West Bengal's Howrah district has been accused of allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl who had been admitted the previous week, news agency PTI reported citing police. The incident occurred on Saturday evening and according to a hospital official, an FIR has since been filed and the accused arrested.
“An FIR has been registered at Howrah Police Station and the accused has been arrested. We have asked for an explanation from the private partner who conducted the CT scan on the victim. We will forward this to higher authorities and take appropriate action. The individual arrested was an employee of the private-public partner... We are providing security to the victim and her family. Repair work was being done in the CT scan room, which unexpectedly started in the evening. We were not aware of it,” said Narayan Chattopadhyay, Superintendent of Howrah Government Hospital, as quoted by ANI.
What happened?
The incident occurred on Saturday at around 10 pm at Howrah district Headquarters Hospital, where the 12-year-old girl had been admitted the previous week for pneumonia. According to an India Today report, while she was being taken for a CT scan, she emerged from the department in tears and sought help from a relative of another patient.
{{/usCountry}}The incident occurred on Saturday at around 10 pm at Howrah district Headquarters Hospital, where the 12-year-old girl had been admitted the previous week for pneumonia. According to an India Today report, while she was being taken for a CT scan, she emerged from the department in tears and sought help from a relative of another patient.
{{/usCountry}}Later a family member stated that the girl left the laboratory in tears, alleging that the lab technician had touched her “inappropriately and threatened her with severe consequences” if she told anyone about the incident, according to PTI.
The girl's mother, who was waiting outside, hurried to her daughter's side upon hearing her cries and immediately notified the police.
The news of the incident quickly spread, causing outrage among the locals and the victim’s family gathered at the hospital to protest, with some reportedly attempting to confront and assault the accused.
Police arrived at the scene and intervened to rescue the accused, Aman Raj, from the angry crowd. He was arrested following a complaint filed by the girl's family, and authorities stated that an investigation is currently underway.
On Sunday, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), staged a protest at the hospital, demanding the resignation of the hospital superintendent.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)