A 24-year-old male nurse from Columbia Asia Hospital in Mysuru has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 20-year-old US student.
The Hindu reported that Mysuru police on Wednesday arrested Sumith following the student’s complaint on Tuesday. She lodged a complaint 19 days after the incident happened.
According the newspaper reports, on November 6, the student, who was on a study tour in India, had visited the hospital as she felt she had symptoms of urinary infection. She was taken to the ward with a woman doctor and the male nurse. When the doctor stepped out the nurse allegedly molested the student on the pretext of examining her.
TOI reported that after the incident she went back to her study centre only return with a few colleagues to register a complaint with the hospital authorities.
The student was part of a batch of nine US students that had come to study conservation and health in the University of Mysuru.
The Hindu quoted Mysuru police commissioner, Dayananda saying, “They had complained to the hospital authorities and also informed the US Consulate in Chennai about the incident.”
As soon as the complaint was made at the police station on November 24, the cops took Sumith into custody and collected video footage from CCTV cameras at the hospital.
A case has been registered against Sumith for rape, Dayananda added.
In a statement, Columbia Asia Hospital said that the hospital acted as per protocols. They conducted an enquiry and formed a sexual harassment committee. The hospital also sacked the nurse and has informed the Karnataka State Nursing Council. They were also ready to help the student if she filed a criminal case.
Hospital’s statement read, “All facts and events were corroborated and verified by this committee. The committee found that under the guise of clinical examination, the nurse had sexually assaulted the complainant. The findings were shared with the complainant. The male nurse, when confronted with the evidence, acknowledged his misdeed.”
This is an aggregated report from Times of India and The Hindu