UP: Minor patient raped by govt hospital staff in Hathras

AGRA: A 17-year-old girl, who was admitted for treatment at government’s TB hospital in Hathras, was allegedly raped by a ward boy with the help of a sanitation worker in the medical superintendent’s office on Friday night.
The accused ward boy, Shivnandan (23) and the sanitation worker Vishal (24) were arrested by the police on Saturday. An FIR was earlier registered under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) on the basis of a complaint given by the victim’s mother.
Later, Section 376 (2) (b) IPC (being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on a woman in his custody) were added after recording the statement of the victim under section 161 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Besides, charges of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) have also been imposed on the accused. The duo will be produced in the court, said SHO of Hathras gate police station Sanjeev Kumar. He said that the victim’s medical examination had been conducted and its report was still awaited.
Meanwhile, the district health authorities have suspended Shivnandan till the completion of the inquiry. Confirming this, additional chief medical officer, Dr Vijendra Singh told TOI that on the basis of a preliminary inquiry, Shivnandan, has been suspended and a report in this regard will be sent to the government.
He added that the other accused, Vishal, is an outsourced employee from an agency that provides sanitation workers to the hospital and they had been informed about it.
According to the hospital authorities, the girl was undergoing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis at MD TB hospital and was admitted on August 23 with little complications.
Shivnandan, who was on the night duty that day, went to the victim around 11.30pm and said that she needed to administer an injection. The victim told police that he opened the almirah, which was on the same floor, and said that injections were there out of stock and would need to go downstairs for it. When the victim asked that she should wake her her mother up, the ward boy told her that there was no need to disturb her.
According to the victim, another person, Vishal, also accompanied them and he stood guard outside the MS’s room.
Shivnandan administered an injection to her and then he gave her some tablet. She told police that after that she did not remember anything and she realised later that she had been sexually assaulted.