Senior govt doctor in Kerala booked for sexual harassment of his junior
Kochi (PTI): Kerala police on Sunday registered a case against a senior doctor of the General Hospital here who was accused of making unwarranted sexual advances towards a junior doctor by forcibly hugging and kissing her in his private consultation room four years ago.
The case was registered against the doctor, a general physician and who was then Head of the Department of Medicine, in 2019 when the incident happened, police said.
"A case was registered based on a complaint received through e-mail. The statement of the complainant will be recorded soon and necessary action will be taken accordingly," a senior police official told PTI.
A female doctor had recently, through a Facebook post, made the allegations prompting Kerala Health Minister Veena George to order an investigation into the complaint.
In the Facebook post, the doctor, who is currently employed abroad, claimed that the then Head of the Department of Medicine had "physically assaulted" her in his private consultation room outside the hospital quarters.
She said she was an intern at the time and had gone to him to make an official complaint against a senior consultant.
"I went alone, as it was 7 pm and I was getting ready to leave. He hugged and kissed me on my face, holding me close to him. I froze, and pulled myself away. I complained to the higher officials the next day. No action was initiated initially. I was in the middle of my internship and didn't further make any complaints as he was a senior official and had the power to sabotage my internship certification process. I was scared," she wrote.
She said that the senior doctor was recently transferred to another hospital, and no strict action was taken against him other than stalling his promotion.
The young doctor said it took her years to even talk about this issue openly.
"I want to expose the predator and make sure everyone knows about his antics. And the female doctors, including myself, whom he abused, should receive justice. Such doctors are a disgrace to society and must not be allowed to practise. I'm hoping my post reaches the right people, who will take stringent action against such perverts," she said.
The health department had also initiated a probe whether there were any attempts to downplay the incident in 2019.
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Riyan Parag likely to be fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping inside dressing room
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is set to be fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offences carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
"He is set to be fined a portion of his match fees and a demerit point for a Level 1 offence," said an IPL source.
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals at home on Friday night.
