Medical College Assistant Professor Suspended after MBBS student alleges harassment

Jaipur: A faculty attached with the Biochemistry Department at the state-run Bharatpur Medical College; who had been accused of sexual harassment by a first-year female MBBS student, has been suspended by the medical college administration from the post of Coordinator of Rajasthan Medical Education Society (RMES).

The suspension order will stay put till the investigation is completed against him. The order was issued after the medical college administration received instructions from Minister of Higher and Technical Education Subhash Garg in this regard on 4th January.

Read Also: NIMS DM Neurology Medico Suicide: Bullying, Harassment, Humiliation Rampant at medical college, finds report

Medical Dialogues had recently reported about the said accusations by the MBBS student. In her complaint, the student alleged that on January 2 Assistant Professor (Biochemistry) called her in his office. Then he started showing her charts related to the subject. Sometime later, the MBBS student told him that she had to go somewhere with her friend and requested the professor to let her leave as soon as possible. "But, he did not believe me and started molesting me. Somehow, I escaped from his office and went to my hostel and told other girls about the incident."

Later, she called up her parents and informed them about the incident following which they came to the hostel the next day. Subsequently, the MBBS student shot up a written complaint to the medical college administration.

Other medical students at the Institute staged a protest and raised slogans against the incident. After knowing about the riot, the Sevar Police reached the medical college premises. However, the Principal and Controller of the medical college, Dr Ajay Kukreja told the police that it's an internal matter and the college committee will first probe the matter. The police can only check if they have any written complaint in this regard.

The Principal had informed that a 7-member committee is investigating the case.

However, later the MBBS student filed a complaint with the police following which a case has been filed against the Professor under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty).

In his defence, the Assistant professor refuted the allegations and stated that the MBBS student is trying to put pressure on the medical college faculty by making false allegations so that he can be tried against the rule. He claimed that the student is often absent from the class and she was also not present in the medical college's internal exam. On this matter, he had called her to his office to explain.

Read Also: Rajasthan Medical College: MBBS student alleges Sexual Harassment by Biochemistry Professor

Now, the medical college has suspended the doctor from the post of Coordinator of Rajasthan Medical Education Society (RMES) till the investigation is completed against him. This came after the 7-member committee for prevention of incidents of sexual harassment at the institute, investigations the allegations against the doctor, decided to suspend him.

Local Daily Pinkcity Post also adds that the examinations which were scheduled on 5^th January at Bharatpur Medical College were postponed to 7th January.