'He forcibly kissed me on my face, neck before I pushed him off'

Days after the Dr Payal Tadvi case shook Mumbai, yet another medical college comes up short in a molestation case

Close on the heels of the ragging death of Dr Payal Tadvi at Nair hospital last month, comes the case of an intern being molested by a senior doctor at the Municipal College at Vashi. What's worse is the college administration's advice to the intern to have a face-to-face meeting with the accused.

THE college, instead of taking matters into their own hands, want her to sit across from the accused and verify the 'details' of the incident. Meanwhile, the Vashi cops stepped up and arrested the accused as soon as the matter was reported to them.

The woman is studying MBBS at Terna Medical College in Nerul and has been posted as an intern at the Navi Mumbai Municipal College, Vashi. On May 25, while the woman was working, around 12.45 am (Saturday) Dr Anurag Narwade, a surgeon and consultant, told her to accompany him to a nearby hospital for some work. "He told me we have some work that will take just two minutes and we will return at once. Being a senior, I didn't think anything was amiss," the woman said. "He took out his bike and told me to sit pillion. He then rode to the park behind the hospital, which is two minutes away," she added.

After reaching the park, Dr Anurag opened his backpack and took out two beer bottles. "He offered the woman a beer, which she refused and requested him to take her back," an officer from Vashi Police station said. "He then started asking about academics and her life and then asked her 'Are you a conservative type of girl'," the officer said, adding, "The girl did not understand why he was taking so much interest in her. He then asked her whether she was seeing someone and where she lived. By that time he had finished both the beers."

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The officer said, Dr Anurag then tried to grope the woman, and when she tried to retaliate, he used force to get hold of her and started kissing her on her face and neck. The woman kept pushing him away and at one point she pushed her with all her might and ran away from the spot.

"On reaching the hospital, before I could catch my breath, he had came to the casualty department looking for me. He then tried to talk to me," the woman said. The woman left the casualty and went to the gynaecology department but Dr Anurag followed her there, too. After being repeatedly rebuffed, he left around 3 am. "In the morning I told my mother and all the people concerned about what had happened. After I had reported the incident, he messaged me in the morning around 10am apologising, but I had decided not to retreat," the woman said.

She reported the matter to the dean of the medical college, which resulted in the immediate suspension of the accused. An FIR was also lodged against him. "We received the complaint on May 27 and registered the FIR under sections of the IPC. He was arrested right away and produced in court, but got bail," said Sanjeev Dhumal, inspector (crime) from Vashi police station.

Also read: Dr. Payal Tadvi's case 'castes' shadow over city campus

At the college, the committee appointed to look after the incident recorded the woman's statement and suspended Dr Anurag. But, they also allegedly asked her to have a meeting in which the accused would be called to put forward his side. "I don't know how this is logical or even legal for a person who has molested me to sit across from me and talk about the incident. This is even more bizarre than the incident itself that the college authorities want to put me through this hell again," the woman said.

Also read: Constant barbs in WhatsApp groups led to Mumbai doctor's suicide

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