The Delhi Health Department has directed the medical superintendents, deans, and directors of state government-run medical colleges and hospitals to install CCTV cameras on the premises to ensure safety and security of all women students and employees. “Further it is to be ensured that necessary CCTV provisions be made immediately to cover all relevant areas to ensure safety and security of girl students in all medical colleges,” read the circular issued by the Health Secretary, who has also instructed medical college and hospital administrations to obtain detailed audio-video recording of viva-voices of all women students in medical colleges by male faculties within a week. According to the order, a woman observer will be present during viva-voices until CCTV cameras are installed. The move came following instructions by Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, who has asked Health Secretary S B Deepak Kumar to take strict action in a sexual harassment case — an MBBS student of a Delhi government college allegedly being assaulted by a professor during her viva examination in January this year. Bharadwaj has also urged Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to take strict action against the accused teacher. In her complaint, the MBBS student alleged that the professor had “touched her inappropriately” as well as asked irrelevant questions during the exam. The woman had first reported the incident to her college authorities on January 31; while the college set up an internal complaints committee probe, a final report is yet to be submitted in the case. To be sure, the committee gets 90 days to prepare the final report. The woman, in the meantime, has filed a complaint with the police and two FIRs have been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. A chargesheet has also been filed in the matter, said the Delhi Police. “The accused has been granted a bail,” said DCP (Rohini) Guriqbal Sidhu.
