Ajit Pawar Removes Doctor Who Allegedly Tried To Molest Woman Patient

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday has removed a doctor who allegedly tried to molest a woman patient at a COVID-19 care centre in Aurangabad.

"A doctor who allegedly tried to molest a woman patient at a COVID-19 care centre in Aurangabad has been removed from service after a preliminary probe into the incident," Mr Pawar said, while speaking during an Assembly session.

He added that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for such facilities will be issued by this month-end. He made this statement during the Assembly session.

The issue was raised by BJP MLA Manisha Chaudhary in the state Legislative Assembly.

Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he had written four letters to the chief minister on the rise in incidents of crime against women in COVID-19 care centres and sought standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb them.

In response, Mr Pawar said the SOPs for COVID-19 care centres will be published by March 31.

On the contrary, Neeta Padalkar, medical officer at corporation hospital Aurangabad said that there is "no case of physical assault." The incident took place at Corona treatment center in Padampura, Aurangabad.

"Woman admitted at Padampura COVID centre in Maharashtra's Aurangabad yesterday alleged physical assault against a doctor. We have dismissed him. In CCTV footage, the 2 are talking but no assault seen. We have found that both knew each other," she said.

"We received information regarding the said incident at Corona treatment center in Padampura, Aurangabad. We conducted an inquiry and found that the doctor had called the patient in the cabin and was talking to the woman patient regarding her discharge. The doctor told her that she will be discharged on March 5. There is no physical assault in it. Woman and doctor know each other," Ms Padalkar told ANI.