Indian-origin doctor in Scotland jailed for sexual assault
London(PTI): An Indian-origin doctor was on Wednesday sentenced to four years of imprisonment by a Scottish court after being found guilty by jurors of serious sexual assault against a woman over three years ago.
Manesh Gill, 39, was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh last month and sentenced at the same court for what Scottish police described as horrific behaviour this week. The court heard how the married general practitioner (GP) posed as "Mike" on the online dating app Tinder and arranged to meet the victim at a hotel in Stirling, where the assault took place in December 2018.
The conviction and sentencing of Gill sends a clear message to anyone found guilty of sexual offences, you will be brought to justice, said Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson of the Public Protection Unit of Police Scotland.
Gill must now face the consequences for his horrific behaviour. The victim has shown tremendous bravery in coming forward and telling her story and I would like to thank her for her assistance during our investigation. I hope today's outcome will give her some form of closure, Wilson said.
"We remain committed to tackling sexual abuse, we have specially trained officers and work with partners to provide support to victims. I would encourage anyone to report sexual abuse in any form, as all reports will be thoroughly investigated, he added.
During evidence at the trial earlier this year, the woman said to be a student nurse described how her body "shut down" as she was sexually assaulted.
Gill, a father of three based in Edinburgh, had claimed the sex was consensual. The jury convicted him for committing a sex crime when the victim was incapable of giving or withholding consent. He has also been added to the Sex Offenders' Register for monitoring his conduct.
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Fact- checker Mohammed Zubair schools Uttarakhand CM over “PR call” to Tripura student’s family
New Delhi/Dehradun: Journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair on Monday criticised Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over what he described as a delayed response to the killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, calling the chief minister’s outreach a “PR call” after days of public outrage.
In a post on X, Zubair pointed out that Anjel Chakma was attacked on December 9 and died on December 26 after weeks of treatment. He noted that the incident was reported by local media and discussed on social media on the very day of the attack, while national media covered it from December 27 onwards. Zubair said widespread outrage persisted online for two to three days before the chief minister finally spoke to the victim’s family.
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“Finally Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami wakes up and decides to do a PR call,” Zubair wrote, questioning the timing of the response rather than the assurance itself.
Zubair’s remarks came shortly after the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office said Dhami had spoken to Anjel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, and assured strict action against those responsible. Dhami expressed condolences and said the culprits would be given the harshest punishment. The chief minister also said he had spoken to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the case.
A video of Dhami speaking to the victim’s family on his phone was also shared later by ANI and other media outlets. Zubair made the tweet while replying to the video of X.
Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, was allegedly assaulted by a group of youths in the Selakui area under Premnagar police station limits on December 9. Police said Anjel and his brother Michael were attacked with knives and blunt objects following an argument. Anjel suffered serious injuries and later died while undergoing treatment.
So far, five accused have been arrested, while one suspect, believed to have fled to Nepal, remains absconding. Uttarakhand Police have announced a reward for information leading to his arrest.
The killing triggered protests and candlelight marches in Tripura, particularly by members of the Tipra Indigenous Students Federation and other student bodies, who have demanded swift justice and highlighted concerns over repeated attacks on people from the Northeast in other states.
Political reactions have also followed, with Congress leaders linking the incident to what they describe as a climate of normalised hate. Against this backdrop, Zubair’s post has added to the debate by shifting focus to the timing and optics of the state government’s response, rather than its stated assurances alone.
