KGMU forced conversion controversy: Doctors, nurses threaten protest over delay in FIR after alleged ruckus

Lucknow, Doctors, nurses and staff members of King George's Medical University in Lucknow have announced their plans to protest against the police's failure to file an FIR regarding the ruckus created at the Vice-Chancellor's office on Friday.

Reportedly, the ruckus on Friday broke out after a group of people, including a political party leader and vice-chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Women's Commission entered the campus and allegedly tried to forcefully enter into the Vice Chancellor's office. She wanted to meet the VC, Soniya Nityanand, regarding the alleged case of religious conversion on the campus and allegations of sexual exploitation of two women.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the ongoing 'Love Jihad' controversy involving a senior resident doctor at KGMU. The accused doctor, who was earlier suspended and booked over serious allegations of sexual exploitation, blackmail, and forcibly attempting to convert a colleague’s religion, had gone absconding. However, a joint team of the Surveillance Unit of West Lucknow and Police Station Chowk recently arrested the wanted KGMU resident doctor.

The matter came to light after a female doctor, on December 27, allegedy attempted suicide by consuming a large quantity of medicines inside her hostel room at KGMU. Immediately, she was rushed to the Trauma Centre and was later shifted to the fifth floor of the Critical Care Management (CCM) ICU for advanced treatment.

Also Read: KGMU asks staff to report similar allegations amid religious conversion controversy

It was alleged by the said female doctor that she is a Hindu and that her male colleague, who belongs to the Muslim Community, emotionally exploited her and pressured her to convert to Islam to marry him. She claimed that after she refused, the male doctor continued to harass her, which pushed her into severe mental distress and led her to attempt suicide.

Apart from her, another doctor who married the accused after they met while studying at the Agra Medical College also made similar allegations. She too claimed that the accused forcibly converted her religion and married her.

As per the latest media report by Indian Express, after the ruckus on Friday, the KGMU's Chief Proctor filed a complaint. However, an FIR has not yet been registered because the police claimed that their investigation is still ongoing. Meanwhile, the University authorities said that the police have been deployed on the campus after they raised safety concerns.

According to campus sources, even though the situation escalated last Friday, this was not the first incident involving a random group of people entering the campus to enquire about the actions taken regarding the alleged 'love jihad' case.

Commenting on the matter, a senior faculty member at the University told Indian Express, "While this was the only incident of vandalism at the campus, in the past 14 days, there have been five such instances, where a group of random individuals barged into the campus seeking clarification from the administration on the alleged incident of ‘love jihad’. The recent incident of vandalism has thus raised concerns of security."

The Daily has reported that Yadav approached the University VC after it was alleged that the University administration was preventing female students and faculty from approaching the State Women's Commission about the incidents related to their issues. She arrived with her supporters for a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor.

After the supporters allegedly tried to force their way into the VC's office, the University administration reported instances of vandalism on the campus and filed a police complaint, citing CCTV footage as evidence.

Addressing the incident, the spokesperson for the University, Dr. KK Singh said, "Shortly after the incident, the employees’ union, as well as the unions of resident doctors, nurses, and faculty members, expressed a desire to protest. However, they were persuaded to follow the legal route, as any extreme action could adversely affect patient care."

"We have two main demands: addressing security concerns and filing an FIR regarding the incident. While the police have been deployed on campus, the latter demand remains unmet. A meeting has been scheduled for Monday to make a final decision," Singh added.

Also Read: KGMU doctor arrested for alleged sexual assault and forced conversion