 "AIIMS Rishikesh")
High drama was witnessed at AIIMS Rishikesh on Wednesday when a police vehicle made it to the sixth floor of the crowded hospital while passing through the emergency ward to arrest a nursing officer accused of sexually harassing a junior resident doctor.
According to a report in The Indian Express, local police took this dramatic step as they feared an attack on the accused employee, who was undergoing treatment at a ward of the hospital.
The SUV passed through a busy emergency ward on the first floor, and a video of the event has been widely circulated on social media.
“To ensure a safe exit, the police used the ambulance route, driving the SUV to the sixth floor to arrest the accused,” Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh said.
During the return, protesters saw the SUV, chased it, and surrounded it on the first floor.
AIIMS security then created a passage through the emergency ward to allow the SUV to exit safely. The widely shared video is from this emergency ward passage, he said.
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The alleged sexual harassment incident occurred on Sunday evening. The nursing officer is accused of harassing a junior resident doctor inside an operating theatre during a procedure. He also allegedly sent her threatening and inappropriate messages on WhatsApp the next day, including threats of suicide.
The police were informed of the case on Tuesday, leading to the registration of an FIR under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
In response, many junior and senior residents staged a protest outside the Dean’s office, demanding the accused’s arrest.
Singh explained that after the incident on May 19, the AIIMS administration initially managed the situation internally. The accused was admitted to the hospital due to health complaints. However, after doctors gathered for a protest on Tuesday, the police were notified, and an FIR was filed. Concerns about a potential law-and-order issue arose because the accused was in a hospital ward.
SSP Singh described the incident on Wednesday, stating that the AIIMS security in-charge advised removing the accused from the ward to prevent escalation and possible mob violence.
Earlier on Wednesday, state Women’s Commission Chairperson Kusum Kandwal visited the institute and met the victim. Kandwal also instructed the Dehradun District Magistrate to form an investigation committee.
AIIMS administration has suspended the accused, and Kandwal has also directed that assistant nursing superintendent (ANS) Sinoj P also be suspended pending the investigation, as he had assigned the accused to duty despite the complaint. The AIIMS administration has issued a notice to the ANS, requiring a response within 72 hours.
(with inputs from PTI)
