Amit Mallick, accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a washroom at SSKM Hospital on Wednesday, obtained a doctor’s uniform either from NRS Medical College and Hospital — where he worked as a Group D staffer — or from his earlier stint at Shambhu Nath Pandit Hospital, a satellite facility of SSKM, police said.
“The accused picked up the uniform from stock meant for doctors while working at either of the two hospitals, with an ulterior motive,” said a senior officer of Kolkata
Police.
Familiar with SSKM, Mallick was aware that it would be difficult for anyone to identify him in the crowd of patients, doctors, and staff at the state’s largest superspeciality hospital, the officer added.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Mallick, wearing a doctor’s uniform, introduced himself to the girl as a child specialist and convinced her to go with him. He allegedly forced her into a washroom and raped her.
“During the assault, the girl’s mobile phone rang, which scared the accused and caused him to leave the washroom,” the officer said. Mallick was later arrested at his home in Dhapa.
The teenager, who had gone to SSKM with her mother and grandfather on Wednesday, was left unattended for a few minutes while her guardians went to get an outdoor ticket. Mallick allegedly approached her during this time and persuaded her to accompany him, the police said.
On Saturday, a team from the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), led by chairperson Tulika Das, visited SSKM Hospital and met senior officials, including the vice-principal.
The WBCPCR team went to the washroom in the trauma care centre of the hospital where the crime occurred. CCTV footage available with the police shows Mallick walking in with the girl to the trauma care centre, sources said.
“We will send our recommendations on improving hospital security, not just for children but for all visitors. To do that effectively, we need to understand the existing mechanisms for visitor safety,” Das said. “We will also speak to the girl’s family,” she added.
The police have booked Mallick under section 65(1) of BNS, which deals with the offence of raping a girl under the age of 16 years; section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which deals with penetrative sexual assault; and section 319(2) of BNS, which is for cheating by impersonation.
