New Delhi: The ambulance driver, who raped a 19-year-old COVID-19 patient at Aranmula en route the COVID-19 First-Line Treatment Center at Pandalam in the early hours of Sunday, has been arrested.According to a report in the New Indian Express, the State Human Rights Commission has ordered a probe into the incident after registering a case suo motu.Seeking a report from the state police chief Loknath Behera and the health secretary within 15 days on the action taken against the driver, the commission pointed out, “The rape occurred in a 108 ambulance and it is mandatory that healthcare workers should be present along with COVID-19 patients while taking them to hospitals or COVID First-Line Treatment Centres. However, only the patient and the driver were present in the ambulance in this case and it is a serious lapse.”The accused, 29-year-old Noufal of Panakkachirayil, Kayamkulam south, had been tasked with transporting two female patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 from the Adoor general hospital, which had no beds vacant for COVID-19 patients. While the 42-year-old patient was to be taken to the district hospital in Kozhenchery, the 19-year-old was to be taken to a CFLTC in Pandalam.“Why was the girl not accompanied by a health worker? The LDF government and the health department owe an explanation,” opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said.The police said that the accused had a case of attempted murder pending against him since 2019 and that he had not obtained a mandatory clearance certificate before joining the state health department’s ambulance service, which is operated by GVK EMRI Emergency Management Services, as a driver.Also read: Tackling Coronavirus Pandemic: Is the Kerala Model Really Working?The incident triggered outrage from the public and political parties. “It is a shocking incident. The GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, which operates the ambulance service, was asked to take action,” the state health minister K.K. Shailaja said. “The police have been asked to complete the inquiry fast. A directive has also been given to GVK EMRI to ensure that those employed in the 108 service had their police clearance certificates,” she said and added that the victim would be provided with the necessary treatment and protection.The Kerala Women’s Commission’s panel chairperson and CPI(M) leader M.C. Josephine said people with criminal records should not have been allowed to undertake COVID-19 duty. The incident, she said, showed that women patients required special protection while being taken to hospital.Opposition parties also demanded to know why a person with a criminal background was put on COVID-19 duty.In a statement, GVK EMRI said the driver had been removed from service and a police complaint had been filed against him. “The GPS of the ambulance has been handed over to police… So far, 108 ambulance services have completed 1.50 lakh trips as part of Covid operations. The accused driver, Noufal, had not obtained a police clearance certificate while joining duty. He had submitted a written undertaking that he would soon obtain a clearance certificate, based on which he was hired… All drivers have now been asked to submit clearance certificates against the backdrop of this incident,’’ it said.The incident prompted protests in front of the district medical office, Pathanamthitta. Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party workers also staged separate demonstrations. The BJP state president called for the state health minister’s resignation over the incident.
