KOLKATA: In a shocking twist of events in West Bengal, a government health centre in Birbhum district has become the latest focal point of controversy after a reported molestation of a nurse by a male patient. The incident occurred on Saturday night and brought out an ongoing discourse over women's safety in the state that has been heated since nationwide protests after the recent rape and murder of a doctor in training.
A night-shift duty nurse said she was administering saline to him when he allegedly touched her inappropriately. The man, accompanied by his family members and brought to the centre on a stretcher owing to high fever, also used offensive language against her, according to the complaint.
In a complaint with the police, the nurse narrated the horrific encounter thus: "The patient was admitted due to fever complaints in the night shift. As advised by doctors, I was just about to administer saline to him when he misbehaved. He touched me and used filthy language. Because of a lack of proper security, we don't feel safe working here. How could a patient act in this manner?" The emotional trauma from the incident oozes into concerns of workplace safety in medical facilities.
Authorities at the health centre, upon receiving the complaint, sprang into action and called the police. The police arrived immediately and made an arrest. The fact that police came very quickly shows that this sort of allegations are seriously being acted upon in today's times, where there is heightened sensitivity when it comes to protection of women.
This incident does not get any more poignant in terms of timing. This incident has come at a time when there has been widespread protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. The tragic case has elicited outrage throughout the country and has been a fair bone of contention for political figures in West Bengal.
The Birbhum incident was seized upon by Amit Malviya of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Malviya underline-snarked the Birbhum case in relation to three other alleged sexual assaults as part of a disturbing trend which he laid at the feet of how the state treats women's safety.
The criticism and protests by the BJP come as part of the wider campaign against Banerjee and her party, the TMC, in the aftermath of the RG Kar case. As the Central Bureau of Investigation dives deep into the heinous crime at RG Kar, the state continues to remain under intense scrutiny regarding the manner in which it deals with ensuring the security amity of its citizens, especially women.
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