JOIN USWoman in Covid-19 quarantine allegedly raped by health official
A day after a 19-year-old girl tested positive for Covid-19 was sexually harassed in an ambulance in Kerala, an incident has come to light in which a 44-year old woman in quarantine in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram was allegedly raped by a health department official last week.
The accused, a junior health inspector, allegedly threatened the woman of initiating action for false charges of Covid-19 quarantine violation and sexually abused her for a whole day by tying up her in his house, according to the first information report of the police.
The incident took place at Pangode near Kallara, about 40 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram city, last Thursday. It came to light on Sunday after the woman reported it to the police. The accused, identified as Pradeep Kumar, was arrested.
Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja said that the director of health services was asked to place the accused under suspension with immediate effect.
The victim was working as a maid at a house in Malappuram district. She returned to her house at Kulathupuzha, about 50 kilometres from the city, recently and was under quarantine. She underwent a Covid-19 test and contacted the junior health inspector of the local primary health centre for the certificate. The official asked her to come to his house at Bharathanoor near Pangode.
The woman said in the complaint that she went to the accused's house on September 3 afternoon. He raped her after beating up her and threatening of falsely implicating for quarantine violation. The woman was tied up in the house till Friday morning and was later released.
The police registered a case after the woman lodged a petition on Sunday. The accused was learnt to have admitted that he asked the woman to come to his house for Covid-19 negative certificate, but denied the sexual harassment charge.
Pangode circle inspector of police Suneesh Kumar said that rape charges were invoked against the accused and he was produced before the court.
Kerala opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala called the incidents a shame and demanded the apologies of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister K K Shailaja for failing to protect women.
The government was making baseless tall claims over Covid-19 fight. The sexual abuse by two women in Covid-19 care by health officials had caused a shame the state, he said.