Doctor arrested for alleged rape of Dalit student during treatment in Lucknow

A doctor at a private hospital in Lucknow has been arrested after a female student accused him of rape during treatment, police told news agency PTI on Friday. The student was admitted to Tejas Hospital in the Bakshi Ka Talab area on May 18 after suffering a health-related episode. According to police, the accused doctor allegedly took the patient alone into the operation theatre and asked her father along with female staff members to wait outside. Deputy Commissioner of Police Twinkle Jain said the victim alleged that the doctor administered an intoxicating injection before sexually assaulting her during treatment. The woman, who belongs to the Dalit community, later told police she realised what had happened after the effect of the injection wore off. Her family subsequently lodged a complaint. Police identified the accused as Vijay Kumar Giri, proprietor of Tejas Hospital and a resident of Sitapur district. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act at Bakshi Ka Talab police station. The accused was detained for questioning before being formally arrested and produced before a court. Investigators said clothes allegedly worn by the accused during the incident were seized as evidence. Police also claimed that during questioning, the doctor admitted to the crime. Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister and health minister Brajesh Pathak said directions had been issued to seal the hospital and suspend the doctor’s licence. He added that the Ayurveda department had also been instructed to confiscate the accused doctor’s Ayurvedic degree to ensure he is unable to practise medicine in future.