A female attendant at AIIMS Bhubaneswar lodged an FIR on Monday, accusing a nursing officer at the hospital of misbehaving with her and touching her inappropriately.
Following the incident, several female attendants staged a dharna on the hospital premises demanding action against the accused, nursing officer Nanu Ram Choudhury, who is currently absconding.
Speaking to the media, the victim said, “Late Sunday night, the nursing officer asked me to come to the doctor’s chamber on the pretext of assigning me some work. But when I reached the chamber, he started misbehaving with me and even tried to outrage my modesty. However, I managed to escape. I want to see him punished. Though I have lodged an FIR, no action has been taken against the accused so far.”
The incident occurred in the orthopaedic department of the hospital. The complainant further alleged that the nursing officer took advantage of the lack of CCTV surveillance inside the room where the assault took place.
Meanwhile, police arrived at the spot and attempted to bring the situation under control. The incident has come at a time when Odisha is witnessing a spate of crimes against women, including the recent gang-rape of a woman on the infamous Gopalpur beach, the self-immolation of a second-year BEd student from Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, and the burning of a minor girl in Balanga, Puri. These cases have triggered outrage across the state and beyond.
The Congress and BJD have already taken to the streets over the issue and submitted a memorandum to the Governor. In their representation, the Opposition claimed that 18,000 cases of crimes against women have been reported in the state since January and that 44,000 women have gone missing over the last few years. They demanded the formation of a commission headed by a sitting high court judge or a retired woman judge to investigate crimes against women, institutional failures, and key cases.
According to the white paper released by the Odisha government, at least 3,054 rape cases were reported in 2024 alone — an increase of eight per cent over the previous year.
In a related development, the Odisha crime branch on Monday submitted a 574-page chargesheet in connection with the Gopalpur gang-rape case that took place in June. The police have arrested ten people, including six adults and four juveniles, for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape of a 20-year-old woman on Gopalpur beach
