Ailing woman whose cousin alleged she was gang-raped at hospital dies

FIR registered to probe the allegations, says SSP

PRAYAGRAJ : The 20-year-old ailing Mirzapur woman, whose male cousin had on June 2 alleged that she was gang-raped by doctors and other medical staff at SRN Hospital during an operation for an intestinal problem on May 31 night, died at the hospital on Tuesday morning. SSP Sarvshrestha Tripathi said an FIR was registered on Tuesday and further investigation were on.

PRAYAGRAJ : The 20-year-old ailing Mirzapur woman, whose male cousin had on June 2 alleged that she was gang-raped by doctors and other medical staff at Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) hospital, an associated hospital of MLN Medical College, during an operation for an intestinal problem on May 31 night, died at the hospital on Tuesday morning.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Prayagraj, Sarvshrestha Tripathi said an FIR was registered on Tuesday and further investigation into the allegations was being carried out.

The woman was in a semiconscious state ever since the surgery was performed. Her cousin (brother) said doctors informed him about her death at around 8 am, saying she passed away due to acute infection.

Principal, MLN Medical College, Dr SP Singh said the patient was admitted in a serious condition with ruptured bowel and was subsequently operated upon. “However, her condition did not improve and she developed septicemia (a serious bloodstream infection) and other complications. Despite the best of efforts of doctors, she died on Tuesday morning,” he added. Station house officer, Kotwali police station, Narendra Prasad said, “The body is being sent for a post-mortem examination and senior officials have been informed of it.”

Soon after a video, in which the woman’s cousin in his 20s had made the allegations, went viral on June 2 evening, two enquiry committees—one by Prayagraj chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Prabhakar Rai and another by principal, MLN Medical College Dr SP Singh— were set up to probe the matter.

The committee set up by MLN Medical College submitted its report on June 3 claiming that the allegations were found baseless. The other committee set up by Prayagraj CMO Dr Prabhakar Rai is yet to submit its report.

On Monday, upset junior doctors and MBBS students of MLN

Medical College staged a protest march. The protesting doctors were holding candles and placards expressing their anger over the “false allegations” levelled against their fraternity.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party leader Richa Singh and Mahila Adhikar Sanghathan’s president Manju Pathak staged a protest outside the IG range’s office on Saturday (June 5) and Sunday (June 6) and outside the DM’s office on Monday (June 7) demanding registration of an FIR into the matter and proper probe into the allegations. They had also met senior cops in this connection.

According to reports, the woman was admitted to SRN hospital on May 29. Her cousin claimed in the video that his sister was feeling uneasy after the operation and was trying to say something. When she was given a pen and paper, she wrote that “wrong things” were done to her and she was not given water to drink, the youth had claimed. However, Kotwali police had said the woman was thirsty but was denied water by doctors due to the medical treatment following which she felt uneasy.