Gurugram DC orders probe after Kazakh woman raped in private clinic

Two days after a 50-year-old Kazakh woman was allegedly raped by a 24-year-old male nurse at Artemis Hospital in Sector 51 in Gurugram, the Gurugram deputy commissioner ordered an investigation, officials said on Tuesday.

Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said the incident was a serious lapse on the part of the hospital. “This incident will be thoroughly investigated by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, who is part of the organ transplant team. We will investigate how a male attendant could enter the patient’s room alone knowing that the woman was alone. Though the suspect has been arrested, we will review the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and examine the CCTV footage to ascertain how many times the suspect entered the room. Strict instructions have been issued to all hospitals and no male attendant will be allowed to enter a room containing female patients without the help of female staff,” he said.

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The hospital management issued a statement saying: “The safety of its patients is always Artemis Hospital’s top priority. In light of this allegation, we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all parties involved are treated fairly and that a thorough and impartial investigation is conducted so that truth and justice can be brought to light. The male nurse will be temporarily off duty until the investigation is completed.”

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A senior police official said the woman was admitted to the hospital on July 9 for a knee surgery. “Her surgery was performed on July 13 and she was alone in the room. The next morning, she was raped by the attendant while she was under sedation. The woman raised the alarm and informed her daughter, who informed the police,” he said.

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The daughter filed a complaint on Sunday. Police said a team from Sector 50 police station reached the spot, recorded the woman’s statement and registered a case under Section 64 (2) (e) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (management or staff of a hospital rapes a woman in that hospital). The suspect was arrested and identified as Thakur, who uses his first name.

“My mother was raped in the hospital. This is a violation of patient safety,” said the woman’s daughter.