Bhubaneswar May 6: In two separate incidents in Odisha, a woman was allegedly gang-raped while another was sexually assaulted both inside hospital premises. The incidents, which occurred in a span of 10 days, has raised a question mark on the security arrangement in the hospitals of the state.
The first incident occurred on April 27, when a
70-year old woman was allegedly gang-raped in Dhenkanal district of Odisha. The
woman was accompanying her grand-daughter who was admitted to the district hospital
for some illness. On April 27, when she came out of the hospital for some work,
she was forcibly taken to a secluded place by some miscreants and allegedly
gang-raped.
After committing the crime, the miscreants left the
woman in an injured state and fled from the spot. However, the woman managed to
reach the hospital premises, where she was given necessary treatment.
A case was registered after the woman narrated the
incident to the hospital authorities. Based on the CCTV footage, the police
have arrested two persons including a contractual employee of the hospital in
the case.
In another incident, a man who was undergoing
treatment for Covid-19 at a dedicated Covid facility allegedly sexually
assaulted a fellow female patient. The incident occurred in Nuapada district of
Odisha and came to light on May 2.
In her statement to the woman tehsildar, the victim
said that the Covid-19 positive man tried to touch her inappropriately. She,
however, raised an alarm which alerted the staff and other patients at the
hospital who gathered at the spot.
A case has been registered at the Nuapada Sadar police station and the accused has been booked under Section 354, 354 (A), 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code. For now, the accused has been shifted to another Covid facility in the same district. However, police action against the accused will only be taken after he tests negative for Covid-19.