NEW DELHI: Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, has urged L-G VK Saxena to take prompt and decisive action against a professor accused of sexually harrassing MBBS students at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical (BSA) College. Bharadwaj also criticised Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for his perceived lack of empathy and indifference towards the complainants, accusing him of protecting the alleged perpetrators.
Bharadwaj emphasized the importance of security of female students in medical colleges. He also questioned Health Secretary SB Deepak Kumar’s failure to report an incident of sexual harassment and criticised the Chief Secretary for his defense of such inaction. Expressing dismay, Bharadwaj stated, “It is shocking to see the Chief Secretary attempt to shield the accused with feeble justifications.”
On Monday, Bharadwaj had urged Kumar to take stringent action against the professor accused of sexually assaulting a medical student and called for immediate disciplinary measures against the principal and head of the department for allegedly pressuring students to retract their complaints.
“The Chief Secretary is defending the Health Secretary’s decision not to inform the minister about the incident of sexual assault, despite explicit directive to report such incidents promptly. The victims were compelled to seek police assistance individually after both the vigilance and health departments failed to act promptly,” the minister noted. He also criticised the Internal Complaints Committee for procrastinating on the issue and not delivering its report within a month-and-a-half.
BJP MLA Vijender Gupta has also appealed to L-G, Saxena, to step in and ensure justice is served. Gupta said the incident was not only a grave breach of the students’ rights and safety but also a critical failure of both the institution and the Delhi government to take appropriate action against the accused.
The issue stems from a incident, where a student accused her professor of sexual harassment during a viva exam.