A contractual laboratory technician at Howrah District Hospital in West Bengal has been arrested for allegedly molesting a minor female patient, reportedly aged around 12-13 years, within the hospital premises.
The incident occurred late on Saturday night, and the accused, identified as Aman Raj, was taken into custody by police. The investigation is underway.
According to reports, the victim was brought to the hospital for a CT scan after contracting pneumonia. She was taken to the hospital laboratory where she was allegedly molested by the technician.
A family member of the minor claimed that she came out of the laboratory in tears, as the accused had touched her "inappropriately" and threatened her with dire consequences if she mentioned the matter to anyone, news agency PTI reported.
After coming out of the laboratory, she revealed her ordeal to her family members who immediately brought the matter to the notice of the hospital authorities.
On Sunday, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), staged a protest at the hospital, demanding the resignation of the hospital superintendent.
In another case, a nurse was reportedly molested by a male patient at a government-run health centre in Ilambazar, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on Saturday night. The patient, who was admitted with a high fever and brought in on a stretcher accompanied by family members, allegedly touched the nurse inappropriately while she was administering saline to him.
These incidents come amid nationwide protests over the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and criticism of the authorities' handling of the incident. The case is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
