Kolkata: A youth has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl inside the premises of S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital, a state-run facility in Kolkata. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has raised serious concerns over hospital security and staff access protocols.
According to police sources, the accused is a contractual staff member currently attached to N.R.S. Medical College and Hospital, another government-run institution in the city. He was previously associated with S.S.K.M. and continued to visit the premises despite no longer being officially posted there.
The victim had arrived at the hospital’s outpatient department for treatment when the accused reportedly posed as a doctor and led her to a washroom in the trauma care centre. There, he allegedly molested her. The girl fled in distress and immediately informed her parents, who alerted the authorities.
Bhabanipur Police Station was notified, and officers arrested the accused later that night. He has been booked under multiple sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and is expected to be produced before a lower court in Kolkata on Thursday.
The incident has sparked outrage and prompted questions about how the accused was able to move freely within the hospital despite no formal attachment. Hospital authorities and law enforcement agencies are now under pressure to review internal security measures.
This case follows another troubling incident earlier in the week, where a traffic home-guard from West Bengal Police was arrested for assaulting a female junior doctor at a government hospital in Uluberia, Howrah district. The accused also allegedly issued a rape threat during the altercation.