A cleaner allegedly sexually assaulted the patient after tying her hand to the bed. (Representational)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Maharashtra government over the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old patient by a sanitation staff inside the ICU ward of a municipal hospital in Thane.
A cleaner allegedly sexually assaulted the teenage patient after tying her hand to the bed at the civic-run hospital. The girl was admitted in the hospital for seizures.
The NHRC in its notice asked the chief secretary whether such incidents have occurred in the past in other government-run hospitals. It also asked what steps were taken by authorities to ensure the safety and security of in-patients at government-run hospitals.
"The commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that a 39-year-old sweeper tied the hand of a 14-year-old seizure patient to the bed and molested her inside the ICU of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC)-run Kalwa hospital. He was subsequently arrested," the NHRC said in a statement.
The girl was admitted to the hospital on December 19 as she was suffering seizures. During treatment, one of her hands was tied to the bed to administer saline, they said.