J&K health director booked for sexual assault on nurse

Victim says that he tried to molest her inside his office

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered an FIR against Director of Health Services Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman for allegedly sexually assaulting a nurse.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the FIR was lodged after the victim complained that Rehman tried to molest her inside his office. “The victim approached the police station in Shaheedgunj, complaining that the director tried to molest her after calling her into his office,” they said. 

The victim, said to be working at a health centre in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, also levelled similar allegations against Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Nissar Ahmad and Block Medical Officer (BMO) Dr Irshad Tak.

A case under FIR 46/2014 under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the RPC was registered against all the accused and police have started further investigations.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer in Shaheedgunj Imran Farooq confirmed to Deccan Herald that the FIR was registered against all three officials on Thursday evening.

“During the course of the investigation, it will be decided whether the accused need to be arrested. But they will be called to record their statements soon,” he said.

In February this year, a case was registered against former minister of state for health and senior Congress leader Shabir Ahmad Khan.

He was charged under Sections 354 and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the RPC.

The charge sheet was filed by the police before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Srinagar and the court is yet to decided whether he will be framed or not.  

Khan, a sitting MLA from the Rajouri constituency in the 87-member state legislative Assembly, had resigned as MoS Health on February 7, a day after a female doctor filed the FIR against him. Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a probe into the incident.

State’s Health and Medical Education Minister Taj Mohiuddin said a report would soon be sent to him. However, Dr Nissar Ahmad termed the allegations against him “false and fabricated”.

“Actually the lady (nurse) does not want to perform her duties as per the rules. She wants to hijack the entire department as she wants to be governed by her wishes and whims. You can confirm this in the records of the past four years. When her wishes were not fulfilled, she resorted to leveling false allegations,” local news agency GNS quoting Ahmad as saying.