A retired doctor who had been re-employed as a consultant at a government hospital in Haryana’s Kurukshetra has been accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in the hospital’s OPD, and has since gone missing, prompting authorities to terminate his services with immediate effect.
The accused, Dr Shailender Kumar Shally, had retired as Principal Medical Officer from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash District Civil Hospital in Kurukshetra before being taken back on as a consultant. The minor had been admitted to the hospital complaining of stomach pain, and her father was also a patient at the same facility under the care of the same doctor.
According to the complaint filed by the victim’s father, the accused called the girl for a check-up on the pretext of examination, made her lie on the examination bed, and then assaulted her, first digitally and then sexually, on multiple occasions in the OPD.
The assaults caused the girl pain and bleeding, following which Shally admitted her to the female ward and disappeared from the hospital.
The abuse came to light on the evening of 29 May, when the girl was shifted to the emergency department at around 8:30 PM after complaining of excessive bleeding. It was at that point that she disclosed she had been subjected to repeated sexual assault in the OPD.
Dr Upendra Singh, who was on emergency duty, confirmed the sequence of events to the media. The minor was subsequently medically examined, counselled and her statement recorded under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. A case has been registered at the Kurukshetra University police station under Sections 6 and 10 of the POCSO Act.
Director General of Health Services Sumita Misra on Sunday ordered the immediate termination of Shally’s services, citing the seriousness of the case. Police are now actively searching for the accused, who remains at large.
The incident has raised serious questions about the screening and supervision of re-employed medical personnel at government health facilities.
Bureau Report
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