House Surgeon's Molestation Sparks Protests at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital; Accused Withheld

A man who allegedly tried to harass a female house surgeon by breaking into the campus caused tension to arise at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) starting on Wednesday night.

Around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday, the house surgeon went to park her scooter in a two-wheeler space between the administrative building and the centenary building that houses her hostel. This is when the tragedy happened.

A man had approached the woman after undressing, according to a representative of the house surgeons, who are completing the mandatory rotating medical internship (CRMI), and she had pushed him down to get away. “We were alerted about the incident; we rushed to the spot. However, the man had fled. Later, he came to the casualty around 1 a.m., and was caught and handed over to the police,” the house surgeon said.

After learning about the incident, the house surgeons gathered on campus. They didn't depart for their hostels until the Resident Medical Officer promised to take legal action against the stranger.

Following Thursday's hoisting of the flag for Independence Day, house surgeons and postgraduate medical students protested in front of the administrative block, denouncing the alleged molestation bid and making a number of demands known, such as posting the number of security guards on campus at night, making sure there is enough lighting, and installing surveillance cameras. They also wanted police nighttime patrols.

“Most of the surveillance cameras are defunct, and many places on the campus are not well-lit at night. Of the 150 house surgeons, 80 are women, and they do not have separate restrooms barring the ones in their hostel and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,” a house surgeon said.

The house surgeons met with Dean A. Nirmala, who promised to meet their requests. "The Public Works Department has informed that restrooms for women house surgeons would be readied soon. There are nearly 200 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and the defunct ones would be fixed. More lights would be fixed on the campus,” She said adding that there were enough security officers on campus at night.

The accused, 23-year-old Madhya Pradesh native Mayank Galar, was allegedly lost in the train station when he arrived at the hospital grounds, according to the police. He was taken into custody under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act's Sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 4 (penalty for harassment of women).

The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) expressed disapproval of the event and offered assistance to the postgraduates and CRMIs in their protest. It released a statement saying, "We demand a safe and secure campus for all CRMIs, postgraduates, and faculties."

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey)