"Somehow Saved Myself": MBBS Intern Accuses Lucknow Surgeon Of Sexual Assault

Doctor sexual assault case: A surgeon at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh has reportedly been booked over allegations of sexual assault made by a 24-year-old woman working under him as an MBBS intern.

The complainant alleged the doctor, working in the surgery department at Lucknow's Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS), tried to force himself on her and locked her in a hospital room. According to Times of India, a case of illegal detention and sexual assault has been registered against him.

Her complaint reportedly mentioned she began working in the surgery department in June this year, following which the accused quickly made his intentions known.

She says he sent her texts on WhatsApp, made calls to her and passed comments, until earlier this week he allegedly tried to "misbehave" with her in a locked room. The intern mentions she "somehow saved" herself and narrated the ordeal to her mother, filing a complaint against the doctor.

Doctor Sexual Assault Cases During Pandemic: Hospital Safety Compromised?

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, several cases have emerged of women in hospitals complaining against sexual assault by healthcare staff. Last month, a patient seeking intestinal treatment at a medical college in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh alleged doctors there gangraped her in the operation theatre.

Unable to speak, she had reportedly relayed her allegations on a piece of paper to her family, a video of which had gone viral online. Watch here. Her claims were rejected by an internal committee set up to probe the matter and a week later, she died.

Earlier this month, two doctors in West Bengal were transferred following uproar on the hospital campus over sexual assault allegations against them. The doctors - one an assistant professor, other the head of a critical care unit - were reportedly accused of harassing a postdoctoral student for a year.