Cardiologist arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two patients at SCB Medical College Hospital

Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident, a 37-year-old cardiologist has been arrested for allegedly raping two women patients at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The accused is a resident of Bhopal and was working as a senior resident doctor in the cardiology department of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday when the two women came to the cardiology department of the government hospital for an echocardiogram test.

Additional DCP Anil Kumar Mishra told IANS on Tuesday, “On August 11, a complaint was lodged at the Mangalabag police station by a relative of the victim. The complainant, a second-year MBBS student in the same college, alleged that two of his female relatives had gone to the SCB Medical College on Friday for an echocardiogram test. The accused doctor asked them to come on Sunday for the test. As per rules, a woman attendant needs to be present during the echo test, but the accused doctor examined the two women without any lady attendant’s presence."

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The officer told media persons that both the women came out of the room after the test and told the complainant that they were sexually abused by the doctor during testing.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mishra said, "During the investigation process, they found that the echocardiogram of the victims should have been done on Friday when they first came to the hospital. The SOP was also not followed as no one was allowed to remain present during the test. Despite the relative of the victims, who is also a MBBS student in the same medical college and hospital requested to be present during test, it was not accepted, which indicates the malafied intention of the accused based on which we have arrested and produced him before the court of law."

Following this, the relatives of the victim attacked and thrashed the accused doctor which resulted in serious injuries. He is currently admitted to the ICU. Additionally, some junior doctors from the same college, who are friends of the victim’s relative, also attacked the doctor.

The police have initiated a probe into the matter by registering a case under Section 64 (2) and (e) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “The statements of the victims have been recorded,” Mishra said. The accused has been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the state Health and Family Welfare Department has constituted a three-member committee to probe the allegations levelled against Singh. “A committee is hereby constituted to inquire the allegations regarding alleged misconduct by a resident doctor of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack,” read an order issued by the department on Tuesday.

The committee comprises the Director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Santosh Kumar Mishra, Joint Director of DMET, Roma Rattan, and Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, the principal of the SCB Medical College and Hospital.

“The committee shall undertake a detailed inquiry into the allegations and recommend appropriate action to the state government,” the order said.

Doctor's family denies allegations

Refuting the allegations laid against the doctor, the doctor's father-in-law, stated that the accusations were baseless. He claimed that the ECHO procedure, which necessitates physical contact, was being misconstrued. He called for a review of the CCTV footage and stated that if the doctor is found guilty, appropriate punishment should be taken. He also stressed that the doctor has served at the hospital for three years but never faced any such complaint before.

As per the ETV Bharat news report, the father-in-law said, "The complainant is around 55 to 60 years old and has said that the doctor touched her. Without touching how can ECHO test be performed? If a doctor does not touch a patient, then how can he/she be treated? The complainant is the mother of a medical student and so the doctor went ahead to examine her.

However, later he was falsely implicated. He was thrashed by his relatives and a few students following which, he became unconscious. After gaining consciousness, an FIR was lodged against him. The CCTV footage should be checked and if he is found guilty, he should face severe punishment. He has spent three years here and no such complaint has ever been levelled against him. Will he misbehave with a 60-year-old lady?"

Defending the accused doctor, his wife stated that he was targeted as part of a conspiracy and demanded an impartial investigation into the case. She said that her husband was performing the test as a goodwill gesture to a fellow medical student.

"He was alone when assaulted and regained consciousness at around 11 pm. The woman involved is approximately 52 to 55 years old. He was called by the student to perform an ECHO test on her mother, and he went as a goodwill gesture. He wouldn’t have gone if the patient was an outsider. I know he is innocent, and I demand an impartial probe. This is a conspiracy against him," she added.

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