PGIMS Rohtak: woman student alleges assault, accused arrested
Chandigarh, Aug 19 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA):- Amidst protests across the country against the murder and rape of a junior doctor in Kolkata, a dental student at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Haryana’s Rohtak has alleged that she was kidnapped and assaulted by a resident doctor. The police have filed a case and arrested the accused. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Virendra Singh, said a first-year BDS student lodged a complaint on Sunday night, alleging that she was kidnapped and physically assaulted by the doctor, an MD (anatomy) student. Acting swiftly, the PGIMS expelled the accused doctor and debarred him from entering the college premises. According to the complaint, the accused kidnapped her from PGIMS and took her to Ambala and Chandigarh, where he assaulted her. The police said that no evidence of sexual harassment or rape has come to light in the investigation so far. In a video posted on X, the victim was seen crying and showing the wounds on her body caused by the alleged physical assault. In the video, she claimed that the resident doctor had been harassing her for the last seven months. She also alleged that the accused threatened her with dire consequences if she raised the issue with college authorities. A spokesperson for the University of Health Sciences told the media the accused, Maninder Kaushik, an MD anatomy resident at PGIMS, has been expelled from the institution and banned from the campus. As per a post on X by Rohtak Police on Monday, “Taking immediate action in the case of assault on a medical student, the accused doctor was arrested. The case of sexual harassment has not yet come to light in the girl’s statement and investigation. The accused doctor and the victim student have known each other for several months. A high-level investigation is being conducted keeping every aspect in mind.” Earlier, the police said the incident of physical assault of a student of PGIMS Rohtak was brought to the notice of police Saturday night by PGIMS authorities. “Acting immediately upon the information, senior police officers reached PGIMS Rohtak and contacted the victim and her family,” it said. —
