Mumbai: Sion hospital’s head of forensic medicine Dr Rajesh Dere gave false information and tried to mislead it by claiming that the 60-year-old woman run over by his car on the premises in May had fallen on her own, the chargesheet filed in court by Sion police states. The hospital had recorded this in its electronic patient records, it says.
Rubeda Shaikh, a resident of Mumbra, had arrived at the hospital on May 24 for treatment. She felt ill and decided to sleep for a while within the hospital compound near gate 7, says the chargesheet, adding that around 7.30pm, Dr Dere drove his car over her and realised what he had done only after the security personnel raised an alarm.
Doc told Sion hosp staffers woman fell down & blacked out
Head of forensic medicine at Sion hospital Dr Rajesh Dere tried to mislead police on the death of Rubeda Shaikh whom he ran over on the hospital premises on May 24, Sion police have said in their chargesheet.
A wounded Shaikh was rushed into the hospital and admitted to the emergency ward. Doctors declared her dead during treatment a few hours later. Her body was sent for a postmortem examination and was later handed over to her son, Shahnawaz.
Initially, Dr Dere told the hospital staff that the woman felt giddy, fell down and blacked out, necessitating hospitalisation, say police.
Police say they and hospital authorities learnt that Shaikh had died following the car accident only after independent witnesses told them that a senior doctor had run over a woman patient on the premises. They say Dr Dere did not cooperate with them during questioning. Police later obtained CCTV camera footage from the hospital, which clearly showed the doctor running her over with his car.
The chargesheet says that Shaikh’s viscera has been sent for a forensic examination and the report is awaited, and that police recorded the statements of 12 doctors from Sion hospital. A committee of doctors from JJ hospital examined Shaikh’s body and a necropsy and an autopsy were performed accompanied by videography. The examination concluded that broken ribs and several injuries all over her body led to her death, says the chargesheet.
Police have charged Dr Dere under Sections 177 (providing false information to a public servant), 304 (A) (death by negligence), 279 (rash or negligent driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt to someone by an act that endangers the life or safety of others) of Indian Penal Code and Section 184 of Motor Vehicles Act (dangerous driving). He was arrested and released on bail.
