Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday urged the Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to take urgent and stern action against the Professor of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical college, in Delhi’s Rohini area, accused of sexually assaulting a 22- year old MBBS student, while accusing the Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of ‘defending the culprits by lame excuses.’
Bharadwaj emphasised the safety and security of girl students in a medical college. He further questioned the Health Secretary SB Deepak Kumar for not reporting a sexual harassment incident, and the Chief Secretary for defending him. Expressing his disappointment for inaction in the matter, he said, “shocked to see the CS is trying to defend the culprits by lame excuses.”
The Health Minister on Monday demanded Kumar to take severe action against the Professor accused of sexually assaulting a medical student. He also directed immediate action against the Principal & HOD for their reprehensible act of pressuring students to withdraw their complaint.
“The Chief Secretary is justifying Health Secretary for not disclosing this incident of sexual assault to the Minister, despite clear instructions by the Health Minister to the Secretary (Health) to report such incidents promptly. The victims had to finally approach police in individual capacity when the Vigilance Department & Health Department failed to take timely action,” he said.
He also claimed that the Internal Complaints Committee was dragging the matter and did not submit its report in one and a half months.
BJP MLA Vijender Gupta also wrote to the LG, urging Saxena to intervene in the matter and ensure justice. “This incident not only constitutes a severe violation of the students’ rights and safety but also represents a significant failure on the part of the institution and the Delhi government to take adequate action against the perpetrator. The silence and inaction by the AAP Government surrounding this incident have resulted in increased distress for the victims and their families, highlighting an urgent need for intervention”, said Gupta.
The incident took place on January 31 where the student levelled allegations against her professor of sexual harassment during a viva examination. An FIR under sections 354A (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused.
