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| Saleem and the scapegoat: Minister wants clean chit to HoD | | SEXUAL ASSAULT | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 16: A senior Minister of Omar Abdullah's Cabinet has put both, the Police Station of Shaheed Gunj in Srinagar as well as the Commissioner-Secretary Health & Medical Education Gazanfar Hussain, under "continued tremendous pressure" to ensure clean chit to the Director of Health Services Kashmir Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman in the sexual assault case filed against him by a complainant nurse earlier this month. Now that the matter has been highlighted in media and the complainant has reportedly threatened self-immolation, one of the four accused officers is being slaughtered as the scapegoat to silence the lady nurse.
Initially, the Police officials taking the Minister's dictation on day-to-day basis had decided not to file the FIR against the accused officers of the Health Department. However, they next day registered the "First Information Report" after they learned that the complaint had been accessed by some mediapersons. In contrast to dozens of the complaints of similar nature, just one section (354 RPC) was invoked.
The lady nurse has separately complained that the Police played a partisan role from the very beginning and adopted a lackadaisical attitude by initially not entertaining her complaint, asking her to negotiate the matter with Director of Health, invoking a 'weak section' to make it "bailable", avoiding to record the statements of the witnesses and the accused and recording the statements of only the select witnesses (one lady block medical officer who was present at a meeting on the day of the alleged incident has been intriguingly omitted) and by bailing out the accused in five minutes.
On the other hand, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman has been allowed by the Government to continuously function as HoD. Even two of the press conferences have been officially facilitated for character assassination of the complainant. In an unprecedented development, Dr Rehman has attempted to intimidate the complaint with his open threat that he would file a defamation and damages suit of Rs 10 crore against her.
Whether the complainant is telling a truth or she is lying to blackmail the senior officials at the behest of Dr Rehman's professional rivals, whether the accused or innocent or involved in sexually assaulting the lady nurse, is a matter of thorough investigation. Until that happens, either of the possibility exists and the matter can not be prejudged in favour of against the accused or the complainant.
But, according to some sources, the Police have already absolved three of the four accused of all the charges and the matter is being closed as "not admitted". In an attempt to ward off allegations of partisan behavior from the complainant and criticism from the civil society, one of the four accused officials is being framed as a scapegoat on the suggestion of a Cabinet Minister. According to sources, even the Commissioner-Secretary of Health, who could have advised the Government to get the departmental inquiry done by Secretary General Administration Department to make it credible, has already drafted a clean chit for the Director in the dock.
"In all Government departments, Commissioner-Secretary and HoD maintain continuous rapport. They meet every day like family members, share tea and sometimes wazwan. They travel often in the same car and visit each other's home and family. How can a Commissioner hold inquiry against his own department's Director?", asked an official. He said that Hussain is an official of high reputation for his integrity and honesty but he has no habit of declining the diktats of the Ministers. "Let us assume that the same politicians who publicly issued clean chit in favour of the four accused officials are holding this inquiry. Its outcome is known to everybody", another official said.
MS being framed as scapegoat
One Minister has now reportedly suggested that incharge Medical Superintendent of Sub District Hospital Dr Mohammad Ashraf Paddar should be indicted and remaining three should get a clean chit. According to documentary evidence in possession of Early Times, Dr Ashraf has sought a written apology from the lady nurse for a sexual assault attempted on her when she was repeatedly requesting him to issue her duty roaster. The incharge MS, who is actually an assistant surgeon, allegedly told the nurse that he would issue her roaster only after she spends a night with him. During the second week of March 2014, Dr Ashraf allegedly attempted to sexually assault the nurse.
She immediately rang up SHO Mattan who sent a Police party to the spot. Auqaf Committee of Seer requested the SHO not to file FIR and assured him that it would "resolve the matter amicably". Dr Ashraf was called for his explanation and statement which was recorded on camera. He admitted to have attempted to assault the nurse sexually and begged for apology from her and the Auqaf. When the complainant insisted that he should give the apology in writing, he wrote it with his own pen on a piece of paper, signed it and laid his official stamp on it.
Dr Ashraf's apology, written and signed by him on March 17, 2014, reads: "Today, 17/3/14, I Dr Ashraf apology (apologise) for wrong doing I have committed and it will be never committed in future. In future, I will never try to torture (the complainant nurse) physically, mentally or sexually. Signed. Dr Mohld Ashraf, Assistant Surgeon, J&K Health Services".
On the basis of this incident and the documentary evidence, Dr Ashraf is being indicted on a Minister's dictation so that nobody would raise a finger on taking other three officers off the hook. |
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