The authorities at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, have decided to terminate the services of M.M. Saseendran, an employee who was accused of sexually abusing a female patient in the intensive care unit around two months ago.
Devarajan E., Principal-in-Charge, told The Hindu that an order to that effect had been forwarded to the hospital superintendent. Saseendran had been under suspension ever since his arrest after the incident was reported.
At the same time, the hospital authorities decided to reinstate five employees who were under suspension for allegedly threatening the patient in favour of the accused. Their suspension was revoked by outgoing Principal E.V. Gopi on the day of his retirement.
Grade-1 attenders N.K. Asya, Shyni Jose, and V. Shalooja, Grade-2 attender P.E. Shaima, and nursing assistant Praseetha Manoli were suspended on March 23 after the patient revealed that they had cajoled her to withdraw her complaint against Saseendran.
Dr. Devarajan said the employees were reinstated after an internal inquiry report deemed that there was no reason to continue the suspension owing to lack of evidence, though they had not been acquitted. “This is in no way related to the ongoing police investigation against them. The police case will go on, and we shall revisit the issue once the verdict is out,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saseendran is still in remand. He was arrested a few days after the complaint was filed and was charged under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). Saseendran, who was an attendant at the ICU of the surgery section, had allegedly assaulted the patient while she was recuperating after a thyroid surgery and was partially unconscious. The Health department and the college Principal had declared separate inquiries into the incident.
