Trainee doctors at Coimbatore Medical College stage protest after youth misbehaves

COIMBATORE: Over 150 trainee doctors staged a sit-in protest on Thursday seeking protection after a north Indian youth attempted to misbehave with a woman doctor while she was at the parking area of Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).

A trainee woman doctor was about to leave after duty around 9 pm on Wednesday when she encountered the horror.

“As she was preparing to take her two-wheeler, a north Indian youth undressed himself before attempting to misbehave with her. The shocked woman pushed him aside and ran to safety by raising a huge cry. Soon, a security guard came to her rescue, but the stranger managed to escape by then,” police said.

Past midnight, the same youth came to the hospital with some minor injuries for treatment. The trainee doctors handed him to the Race Course police station.

After inquiries, police identified him as Mayank Kalar (23) from Madhya Pradesh. As he appeared to be mentally unstable, the police decided to subject him to an examination by a psychiatrist. “He would be sent to a home, if found unstable, else will be arrested,” police said.

Meanwhile, the trainee doctors staged a sit-in protest in front of the Dean’s office demanding to take measures to ensure their safety. CMCH Dean A Nirmala said that the functioning of CCTVs will be checked and the default ones will be repaired.

After a day-long protest, doctors returned to work in the evening. The issue has come up amidst national outrage against the rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata.