Odisha govt asks Cuttack medical college to rusticate senior doctor accused of raping 2 patients

Representational image.

The Odisha government directed the authorities of SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack on Thursday to rusticate a senior resident doctor who is accused of raping two patients, news agency PTI reported.

The government's order comes after the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Dr Santosh Kumar Mishra, led an inquiry into the allegations and made the recommendation to SCB Medical College principal.

"The principal of SCB Medical College Hospital will rusticate the accused," Dr Mishra told PTI.

According to DMET, a three-member committee confirmed the doctor's involvement in the sexual assault and found no evidence of conspiracy or false implication against him.

The doctor is a resident of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He was arrested on August 13 following a complaint by the two women at Mangalabag police station in Cuttack.

His wife has claimed that her husband was framed in the case.

The alleged rapes took place on August 11 when the patients visited the hospital for an echocardiogram (ECHO) test.

The Health & Family Welfare Department of the state government took the incident seriously following the complaint made by the patients and formed a probe committee comprising Dr Mishra, SCB Medical College Superintendent Dr Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, Joint DMET Dr Roma Rattan and Dean and Principal of the institute.

Man gets life term for raping minor tenant
A special court in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh (UP), on Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him for raping his minor tenant in 2019.

Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Judge Deepak Yadav pronounced Tejpal Singh guilty of raping the girl who was 11 years old then, Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Bharti said.

The court directed Singh to pay the fine amount to the survivor, he said.

"The family was residing in a rental property owned by Singh in the Civil Lines area. Singh was accused of repeatedly molesting the minor and ultimately raping her on September 30, 2019," said Bharti.

"The crime was witnessed by Singh's 12-year-old son," the lawyer said, adding that the girl's father lodged a complaint with the police on October 3, 2019, after which a first information report (FIR) was registered against Singh and he was arrested.

After reviewing the evidence and hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense, the judge pronounced the sentence, he added.

(With PTI inputs)