Labourer arrested for allegedly harassing two MBBS interns in Haryana college

Two MBBS interns were allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted by a labourer on the campus of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Khanpur Kalan. The accused was arrested, while students protested demanding stronger security arrangements and more guards

Chandigarh: A labourer allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted two MBBS interns at Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Khanpur Kalan, triggering a protest by students who demanded adequate security on campus, police said on Tuesday. In two separate incidents inside the college campus last week, two female MBBS interns were allegedly assaulted, an official of the Women Police Station, Khanpur Kalan, said over the phone.

She said police have registered a case on the complaint of the MBBS interns and arrested the labourer. “On August 15, one female doctor was headed towards the library on the campus at around 10.30 pm. Another one was proceeding for her duty. The accused labourer inappropriately touched them. He targeted both the female intern doctors when they were walking separately at different time intervals with a gap of a few minutes between the two incidents,” the officer said.

---

“The two interns live in hostels of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College,” the police official said. The labourer who worked at an under-construction site on the campus was arrested on August 16. “A case has been registered under BNS Sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 78 (stalking),” the police official said.

After the incident, a number of MBBS students sat on a dharna outside the institute director’s office on Tuesday demanding adequate security arrangements and deployment of an adequate number of guards on the campus.

A protesting student told reporters on the campus that the labourer tried to physically and sexually assault the two victims. “They were saved by God; otherwise, worse things could have happened,” she said.

“We went to authorities and put issues related to security concerns before them. We had a long meeting with college authorities. They gave assurance also, but just a day after the incident, we found there was no security guard deployed or no light installed at the spot where the incident took place,” she said.

“In such an insecure environment, we cannot work like this,” she said. The issue of security does not just affect MBBS students, it is important for healthcare workers, doctors, patients and others. “So, we demand that the number of security guards needs to be increased. The campus is big but security guards are not adequate,” she said.