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Kozhikode: The woman, who encountered a sexual assault in the surgical ICU of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, opened up about the tragic experience she had to face from the hospital staffers. Speaking about the incident, the woman slammed the hospital employees for supporting the accused and threatening her to withdraw the complaint against him.
“They (employees) came to the ward pretending to console me. However, they behaved badly and told me that I will be given compensation if I withdraw the complaint against (accused) Saseendran. They even called me a mental patient,” said the woman.
“Around 15 women attenders talked to me. Aren’t they the ones who should stand by me during such incidents? However, nurses and doctors have been very cooperative,” she said.
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When asked about the assault, the woman said, “I was conscious at that time, but could not move my body due to anaesthesia. The incident took place while nurses went to check on another patient in the ICU. As I was conscious, I could identify the culprit.”
“Several people threatened us and were ready to do anything in order to settle the issue. As we did not yield before the threats, they began to propagate that my wife suffers from mental illness,” said the woman’s husband.
On Tuesday, the woman was transferred to the ward. Following which, Saseendran’s co-workers met with her demanding to withdraw the complaint.
Saseendran, a 55-year-old employee of the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, was arrested on March 20 for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman patient on March 18.
The woman, who underwent surgery at the hospital, was allegedly assaulted by an attendant after she was shifted to the postoperative facility on Saturday, police said.
The arrested Grade II attendant has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376 (rape) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). The State Health Department had earlier suspended the accused employee from service. Besides, it also suspended five others for trying to intimidate the survivor.
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