ICU sexual assault case: Suspended employees reinstated, survivor stages protest

KOZHIKODE: The survivor in the Medical College ICU assault case staged a protest on Thursday against the reinstatement of employees who had allegedly threatened her to shield the accused. She, along with protest committee leader Noushad Thekkayil, held a sit-in inside the Principal’s chamber. Both were later taken into preventive custody by Medical College police for obstructing official duties and released soon after.

The protest began around 11 a.m. Noushad Thekkayil accused the government of protecting the accused and announced that a sit-in would be staged in front of the Health Minister’s residence to demand justice. The survivor added that by shielding the accused, the government was pretending to stand with her, but “it would have been better if they had not stood with us at all.”

Earlier this week, five staff members — Grade I assistants Asya and Shiny, Grade II attendants Shaima and Shanuja, and nursing assistant Praseetha — were reinstated at MCH, IMCH, and the Chest Hospital based on a court order. They had previously been suspended and later transferred. The survivor had accused these staff of threatening her to protect medical college employee M.M. Saseendran, who allegedly molested her while she was in a semi-conscious state after undergoing a thyroid surgery. The incident took place inside the ICU on March 18, 2023.