It looked like a scene straight out of a movie when the Uttarakhand Police drove an SUV through an emergency ward, up to the sixth floor, of AIIMS Rishikesh to arrest a staffer accused of sexual harassment. The car, trundling through the ward, shocked patients and attendants. The video of the incident has been widely shared on social media.
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In the 26-second clip recorded on Wednesday, security officials can be seen clearing the way for the car by removing stretchers.
With netizens questioning the act, police informed that a nursing officer had allegedly sexually harassed a woman doctor inside an operation theatre at AIIMS. The accused, Satish Kumar, had also allegedly sent an obscene SMS to the doctor.
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“On May 19, a junior resident doctor reported a sexual assault case to the AIIMS administration. According to the Vishakha guidelines, a committee was formed to look into the matter. The accused was suspended the next day. But he got admitted to the psychiatric ward in the hospital,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dehradun, Ajay Singh.
“Seeing that he had been admitted, the hospital staff called the police. Since the staff were very angry because of the sequence of events, we needed a safe passage to take the accused out,” said Mr. Singh.
According to police, an FIR was registered under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
AIIMS Rishikesh director Meenu Singh said the doctors had demanded immediate action against the accused and had gheraoed the ward. “The police used the car to get the accused out. The ramp used for our battery-operated vehicles was used by the police. It was an emergency measure and no one was injured,” she said.