Victim of rape 'assaulted in hospital'

NEW DELHI • A teenage rape victim was allegedly sexually assaulted a second time while in hospital receiving treatment for the original attack, police in India said yesterday, in the latest case of violence against women.

The 15-year-old girl told the police she was raped on Sunday by a security guard at the hospital where she had been admitted in Jamshedpur city in the impoverished state of Jharkhand.

"We registered a case and arrested the private security guard posted at the hospital after the girl's complaint and are now awaiting her medical report," police superintendent Chandan Jha told AFP.

"The girl has now been referred to the best hospital in the city for further treatment and rehabilitation," he added.

She had been admitted several days earlier to the M.G.M Hospital after informing police that she had been raped by a teenager in her neighbourhood on the city's outskirts.

"Since the accused in the earlier case was also a minor, he was detained and sent to a juvenile remand home," Superintendent Jha said.

The fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women.

It also led to major reform of India's rape laws including speeding up of trials and hiking penalties for offenders, but high numbers of assaults persist.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 02, 2016, with the headline Victim of rape 'assaulted in hospital'. Subscribe