Young woman brutally raped in mental hospital in Kerala

The shocking revelation about the brutal rape of a young woman in the Kuthiravattom Government Mental Hospital in Calicut has created a sensation throughout Kerala. There has been a public outcry about the incident and several organisations in Calicut have come forward to champion the cause of the 26-year-old victim, Premaja.The events of the night of September 4 illustrate the helplessness of mental patients and how they are at the mercy of their keepers. Rajendran and Shankaran, two male nursing assistants in the mental hospital got drunk and climbed the high compound wall of the women's ward. Rajendran allegedly entered Premaja's cell and criminally assaulted her. Meanwhile Shankaran tried to enter the next cell where two women were sleeping, but as he was opening the heavy iron door he dropped his big bunch of keys. This sound awakened the two inmates of the cell, Nabeesa and Kalyani, who together raised an alarm forcing the culprits to take to their heels. Hushed Up: At first the hospital authorities concentrated their efforts on hushing up the case. Premaja was threatened with dire consequences if she spoke of it to anyone. Dr Santhakumar, an internationally known psychiatrist who is the superintendent of the hospital denied that anything had happened and claimed that the story was being spread by vested interests. Five days went by before the police decided to register a case and sent Premaja for medical examination. They also arrested Shankaran but were unable to lay their hands on Rajendran who had absconded.~remaja(r ight): hapless victimThe mounting anger over the incident forced Health Minister Vakkom Pumshothaman to order the principal of the Calicut Medical College Balaraman Nair to submit a report about the incident. Nair's report indicated that there was indeed prima facie evidence to support the allegation of rape. Purushothaman acted immediately on receiving the report and suspended Santhakumar and the Resident Medical Officer Dr Prabhakaran.The most shocking aspect of the whole story is the way the hospital tried to keep the lid on it. For three days Premaja did not tell anyone about it because she feared that she might come to harm if she did. Finally she mustered up enough courage to confide everything to the head nurse, Leelavathy.Even then the hospital authorities did not report it and instead warned Premaja that her reputation would be ruined if she were to tell anyone, and that the police would harass, not help her. The whole scandal only burst into the open after five days when a group of hospital employees who were disgusted by the goings-on in the hospital took the matter into their own hands and leaked the story.Ill-treated: The employees allege that the patients are ill-treated in many ways. These allegations are supported by several people living in the area. Said one: 'The people at the hospital treat the patients like slaves. The nurses stitch skirts with the cloth given to the patients while lower down the line the nursing assistants deprive them of food and make them clean the toilets." A nursing assistant makes even more serious allegations: "Premaja's case is just the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes the women's wards are converted into brothels." A senior member of the nursing staff alleges that the hospital authorities are more bothered about "fighting with each other than running the hospital".Protest outside the mental hosoital: scantlalis~tl by tire goings-onBut the rape has thrown things out of gear at the hospital. As Dr Vijayan, the acting superintendent, admits apologetically: "We are ashamed of this incident; it has stained the reputation of this 100-year-old institution. It has brought a bad name to all who work here." And the furore about the incident has not died down yet.Premaja's father T. M. Narayanan Nambisan, retired schoolteacher from Taliparamba in Cannanore district, is pursuing the matter vigorously and has written to the prime minister and the Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar, demanding action "against the criminal negligence of the authorities". Premaja, he says, has been in the hospital for 12 years and she, is suffering from depressive psychosis due to which she has occasional fits of violent behaviour. But Nambisan insists that "except for sudden outbursts of violent behaviour she is normal and well-behaved the rest of the time". Purushothaman has also promised that erring doctors and other staff in the hospital will be given the maximum punishment if they are found guilty. But that may not change things very much. As one resident of Kuthiravattom comments acerbically: "People who come here to be treated, go back completely mad."Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 30, 2013 11:03 IST--- ENDS ---

Download App

Get 37% off on an annual Print +Digital subscription of India Today Magazine

Young woman brutally raped in mental hospital in Kerala

The shocking revelation about the brutal rape of a young woman in the Kuthiravattom Government Mental Hospital in Calicut has created a sensation throughout Kerala.

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION