Police have begun investigations into a complaint by a 46-year-old flight attendant who alleged she was raped while on ventilator support at Medanta Hospital earlier this month.
The woman, employed with a private airline and hailing from West Bengal, was admitted to the hospital on 5 April following a near-drowning incident during a swimming pool training session at her airline’s facility in Gurgaon.
According to her complaint, the alleged sexual assault occurred the following day, on 6 April, while she was in a semi-conscious state. She told police that a ward staff member assaulted her while she was on life support, and two nurses who were present did not intervene.
“She was not in a condition to speak or resist the man's advances because of her weakened condition. There were two nurses in the room, but they did not intervene,” the FIR stated.
After being discharged from the hospital on 13 April, the woman confided in her husband, and the couple approached the Sadar police station. A case was registered under Section 64 (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Meanwhile, on April 15, Medanta Hospital in Gurugram denied allegations made by the air hostess.
In a statement, the hospital stated that “no allegations have been substantiated” and confirmed that it has provided CCTV footage and pertinent medical records to the police.
The hospital assured that it is “fully cooperating with investigations conducted by the relevant authorities.”
“We have been made aware of a complaint from a patient and have been fully cooperating with the investigations conducted by the relevant authorities,” the statement added.
On Wednesday, police reviewed hours of surveillance footage and began questioning hospital staff.
“The complainant has mentioned the date of the incident but has been unable to recall the exact time, which has made it more challenging to pinpoint crucial moments from the surveillance footage,” said a police officer involved in the probe.
Police confirmed that they have received a list of staff members present at the hospital on the day of the alleged incident. Investigators are attempting to reconcile movement patterns visible in CCTV footage with the woman’s account.
“The process of scanning CCTV footage is taking long because we don’t have a time-window to go on. We are carefully reviewing hours of footage from various sections of the hospital to narrow down suspects,” a senior official said. The complainant has since returned to her home in West Bengal.
The Haryana State Women’s Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter. Chairperson Renu Bhatia said she had spoken to Gurgaon police commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora and urged swift action.
“I urged the police commissioners to identify and arrest the accused, and send the hospital’s CCTV footage to the panel for review. If women are not safe even during treatment at a reputed hospital like Medanta, it is a matter of great concern, and strict measures need to be taken,” Bhatia said.
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