Kozhikode MCH sexual assault survivor continues stir seeking probe report

Kozhikode survivor protests for police report on sexual assault case, denied under Right to Information Act.

The survivor in the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital ICU sexual assault case has completed two days of protest in front of the office of the District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) demanding a copy of the police investigation report on her complaint against a gynaecologist. However, her plea remains unheard.

She has been staging a sit-in outside the gate in the scorching sun along with a few human rights activists as her demand under the Right to Information Act was also denied, on the grounds that the case was sub judice. “I will continue my protest until I get a copy of the report”, she told The Hindu.

The woman had been allegedly sexually assaulted by an attender in the ICU on March 18, 2023, when she was under sedation following a thyroid surgery. The survivor has alleged that the gynaecologist, who had recorded her statement on the incident, did not furnish it completely before the police and the internal investigation panel. Following her formal complaint, an investigation was held under the aegis of Superintendent of Police K. Sudarshan. However, the investigation report stated that her allegation was baseless. She is demanding a copy of the said report.

Meanwhile, District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) Rajpal Meena expressed his helplessness in the case.

“The case she is referring to is sub judice. I am not legally entitled to hand over the investigation report to her,” he said, adding that she could approach the Chief Information Commissioner on the issue.

However, the survivor has challenged the claim. “The case I have filed is against the culprit and five others who tried to threaten me. There is no case against the gynaecologist. Then how can it be sub judice?” she asked.