SHILLONG: The arrest of a senior resident doctor of NEIGRIHMS on Friday over allegation of molestation of two patients has caused shock and surprise among his colleagues, some of whom even privately confided that it could be a “framed” case.
According to some insiders, the arrested man, Dr Jhutan Chaudhuri, who is originally from Tripura, enjoys a fair reputation as a professional with good demeanor.
The news of his sudden arrest was received with shock and disbelief. “He might have been framed by some vested interest”, suspected an insider. Talking on conditions of anonymity, he said “if he had committed an offence, he would have sought legal support from the legal cell of our Institute”.
He showed no signs of being perturbed on the day of the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, the Legal Counsel for the arrested doctor has accused the State police of violating the mandate laid down by the Supreme Court by arresting the accused without issuing a notice first.
Talking to newsmen after moving a bail petition at the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate First Class here on Saturday, the counsel, KC Gautam , said that his arrest was made on the strength of an FIR filed by a lady alleging that while he was discharging his OPD duty he had molested her two nieces. Police registered a case under section 351 (1) and 354 (b ) of the IPC.
Pointing out that one of these sections is bailable and the other is not, Gautam said that the police should not have arrested him without serving him a notice under section 41 (a). Instead, police arrested the person and sent him to 14 days judicial custody.
The court has kept the matter in abeyance and asked for report from the Investigating Officer on Monday and the IO has to be present before the Court.
Meanwhile, NEIGRIHMS has initiated an internal inquiry on the alleged molestation case. The inquiry will be conducted by the Medical Superintendent of the institute.
NEIGRIHMS interim Director, Dr P Bhatacharya said that if the charges prove to be valid, it would be one of the most regrettable matters.
“Whenever a woman makes a complaint of this nature, it becomes a serious matter since it is the question of her honour and dignity, and this is the reason why we are cooperating with the police,” he said.
The Director however also was surprised how such a thing could occur in a crowded OPD. The institute always ensures presence of women attendants in the OPDs.
