Hospital ward boy held for rape bid on French tourist

Kanpur, June 09: In an incident that raises serious doubts about the safety of patients in government hospitals, a ward boy of a government hospital in Kanpur was arrested on Monday following complaints by a French tourist that there was an attempt to rape her.

DIG Hari Ram Sharma said the accused has been identified as Ranvir Singh, working at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital. He was missing during an identification parade conducted before the complainant at the hospital on Sunday evening, Sharma said, adding that the police picked up Ranvir from his house and produced him before the victim, who identified him.

On Monday, another patient from Etawah too was molested by a ward boy during a medical check-up. The ward boy, Alok Srivastava, was caught. According to police, the hospital authorities initially tried to put a lid on the incident involving the French tourist, but when the girl threatened to report the matter to the French embassy, the authorities swung into action. The French woman, Heather Bates, had alleged that the accused tried to rape her in the emergency ward.

—Agencies–