Overview
- A 15-year-old girl reported an alleged sexual assault at Kurukshetra’s LNJP hospital, police registered a POCSO case, the accused consultant doctor was arrested, and the government terminated his service.
- Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia visited the hospital and publicly blamed nursing staff for lapses, a visit recorded in a viral video that nurses said unfairly suggested negligence or collusion.
- Nurses and allied health associations held coordinated two-hour pen-down strikes and sit-ins across multiple Haryana districts to demand an apology and Bhatia’s removal.
- Bhatia submitted her resignation to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday while refusing to apologise and saying she was stepping down for personal and travel reasons, and reports said the state had not yet formally accepted the resignation.
- The case has completed key POCSO procedures including the minor’s statement recorded before a magistrate and a medical exam, and the controversy has raised questions about official accountability, legal action against the commission chair, and the morale and protection of frontline health workers.