NCW seeks expedited probe in Patna Covid patient's alleged gang rape

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The National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to Chief Secretary Bihar regarding the incident in Patna where a Covid patient was allegedly gang raped at Paras HMRI Hospital and died. The NCW has stated it is concerned about the crime against women taking place in hospitals during the pandemic.

Sharma has also written to the Director General of Police of Bihar to immediately intervene in the matter and register an FIR against the accused. “The Commission has sought a time-bound investigation and action taken has to be intimated to the Commission at the earliest,” the NCW said.

News reports suggest that a 45-year old woman who was admitted to the ICU ward of the private hospital was raped by three men and the complaint was registered by her 15 year old daughter. The accused persons have not been identified by the complainant.

“My mother was sexually assaulted by three persons inside the hospital ICU on May 16. She had informed me about the incident. Since then her health condition deteriorated. I spoke to my relatives and the women’s wing of the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) about the incident,” the deceased woman’s daughter said, as reported by National Herald.

M.L. Khan, the Duty Magistrate of Patna, said, “We have received a complaint from the deceased’s person’s daughter against the hospital administration. The names of the accused are not mentioned in her complaint. We have sent the body for post-mortem to ascertain if there was sexual assault. The hospital administration has cited corona infection as the cause of her death. Further investigation is on.”

Further, the hospital has released a statement that an investigation carried out by internal enquiry team has concluded that such incident did not take place.