Rajasthan Hospital Staffer 'Attempts Suicide After Sexual Assault By Nursing Officer'

The victim was allegedly sexually assaulted on August 15, when she was on duty in the emergency department. On August 17, she consumed poison and was admitted to the ICU. Accused has been arrested.

A nursing officer was arrested in Rajasthan on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a female staffer at a government hospital in Churu. 

According to a PTI report, the incident came to light after the victim attempted suicide by consuming poison on August 17 at her residence. She was admitted to hospital and is undergoing treatment. 

Based on her complaint, a case was registered against the nursing officer, Subhash Chandra Sihag, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at Dudhwakhara police station on August 18, Churu Superintendent of Police Jai Yadav told PTI. 

A report in The Times Of India said the victim was attacked on August 15, when she was on duty in the emergency department. On August 17, she consumed poison and was admitted to the ICU.

Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar has ordered immediate action against the nursing officer, TOI reported.

Additional Chief Secretary of Health Shubhra Singh said that, following the minister’s directive, the department immediately suspended Subhash Chandra Sihag. The accused will be stationed at the health directorate in Jaipur during the suspension.

Jaipur Resident Doctor 'Threatened By Colleague' 

In another incident, a woman resident doctor at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College has accused a male colleague of threatening her. 

The woman made the accusation on a WhatsApp group of the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) on Sunday evening. A screenshot was forwarded to the principal of SMS, Dr Deepak Maheshwari, following which the police were informed. 

However, the female resident doctor has refused to lodge an FIR, saying it was for the college administration to take action against the accused, according to PTI sources.

In the message sent to the WhatsApp group, the woman named the male resident doctor and said she did not feel safe at the workplace. She termed the accused "as criminal as a rapist", and demanded immediate action against him. His threat, she said, implied "anything from rape to murder”.

"I don't want myself or any other girl to be the next Abhaya or Nirbhaya," she said while urging other female resident doctors who might be feeling unsafe because of their colleagues to come forward and speak up.

Abhaya is the name given to the postgraduate trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at a state-run medical college and hospital in Kolkata while on duty. Indian law forbids the public identification of a rape victim.