Maharashtra news: Nursing student drugged, assaulted by auto driver in Ratnagiri

After the tragic Kolkata doctor rape-murder case, another harrowing incident surfaced in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district. An auto-rickshaw driver in Eknath Shinde-led state allegedly raped a 20-year-old nursing student, reported News18. The injured victim is reportedly undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital.
The nursing student was returning from college when she took an auto-rickshaw ride home, preliminary investigation revealed. The woman lost consciousness after drinking water offered by the auto driver, which was water mixed with sedatives.
Soon after the nursing student lost consciousness, the accused took her to a secluded spot and sexually assaulted her. The victim informed her family after regaining consciousness and later filed an FIR. The city police are scanning CCTV footage to nab the accused, the report said. Meanwhile, the search for the absconding driver of the vehicle is ongoing.
The nursing community in the city led protests over the incident, demanding swift action against the accused. Hospital staffers blocked traffic in several parts of Ratnagiri, India Today reported. Moreover, agitating residents blocked a road for hours last night. Meanwhile, the authorities assured strict action against the culprit and urged the protestors to maintain calm.
This incident comes days after a trainee postgraduate doctor was brutally murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital after sexual assault. The 31-year-old doctor had gone to the hospital’s seminar hall to rest after a long work shift. She was asleep when the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, charged at her.
The autopsy of the victim revealed several internal and external injuries and death due to manual strangulation associated with smothering.
The incident triggered massive nationwide strike and protests which began on August 11 over safety concerns of medical practitioners. After an eleven-day long strike, doctors ultimately resumed service on August 23 following the Supreme Court’s orders that their concerns would be addressed.