Patient attempts to rape woman on KGMU campus

LUCKNOW: A patient attempted to rape a 25-year-old woman attendant of another patient on the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) campus in Chowk area here on TuesdayWednesday intervening night.

The accused, Pradeep Shukla, 35, was nabbed by the woman’s family members when she raised an alarm. He was handed over to the Chowk police who registered an FIR of attempt to rape against him on Wednesday.

Shukla, a native of Hardoi, had come to the KGMU for treatment of a parasitic disease, Filariasis and was staying in the open on the medical university’s campus, said police.

According to the victim, the incident occurred around 2am when she along with her family members was sleeping on the pavement near gate number 2. The family from Gonda had come to KGMU for treatment of a woman and halted on the campus to get the doctor’s appointment on Wednesday morning.

The victim told cops that the man, who was in an inebriated state, made advances and started touching her while she was asleep. She shouted for help after spotting an unidentified man lying close to her. In the mean time, the woman’s kin sleeping nearby woke up and nabbed the accused. The man was beaten up by them.The woman’s kin said the accused even posed as a policeman to escape from the spot.

VC Tripathi, ASP (west), said the accused was arrested and an FIR of attempt to rape was registered against him. Police also recorded the statements of the woman and her family members.

He said a letter would also be sent to the KGMU authorities to ensure safety of thousands of women attendants staying on the campus in the open during night hours.

In five months, this was the second such incident with women attendants on the KGMU campus. On June 1, a 42-year-old woman, who had come to the KGMU for her husband’s treatment, was gang-raped by three persons on the hospital’s premises. Two security guards, Shiv Kumar and Santosh Kashyap, at the Shatabdi Hospital of KGMU, and a liftman, Vinay were arrested. Kumar allegedly took the woman to a lift room, where she was gang-raped by the trio.

As KGMU is the only medical university offering speciality services, people from other districts come here for treatment. Patients often come here a day before in the hope that they get the doctor’s appointment the next day.

‘SECURITY ON CAMPUS TO BE REVIEWED ’

The KGMU administration distanced itself from the incident. Chief proctor Prof RAS Kushwaha said the incident took place at gate number 2 of KGMU and the woman was not registered as a patient with the medical university. “An FIR has been lodged on the basis of the complaint of the woman,” he said. Dr Sudhir, spokesperson, KGMU, said: “Security arrangements on the campus will be reviewed.”