Indore, March 24 Police have arrested a doctor in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh for allegedly raping a 30-year-old woman, claiming that he provided treatment and threatened her with obscene photographs, an official said on Tuesday.
Following the doctor's arrest on Sunday, a group of people vandalized his house and set it on fire, he said.
In response to the public outrage, the police and administration took action against the doctor at various levels, including sealing his clinic, he said.
According to the FIR filed at the Badgonda police station on the night of March 22, the woman alleged that she had gone to the clinic of local doctor Shahid alias Saeed Khan three to four months ago, complaining of stomach pain, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Umakant Chaudhary said.
She alleged that he raped her after administering an injection and took objectionable photographs of her, he said.
The victim claimed that the doctor had been harassing her by threatening to make the photographs public, and also lured her to a resort in the Patalpani area, where he raped her again, Chaudhary said.
Khan was arrested based on the woman's complaint under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021.
"Following the arrest of the accused, a group of people entered his house, vandalized it, and set the door (of the house) and motorcycle on fire," the DSP said.
He said that a case has been registered at the Mhow police station under relevant provisions based on a complaint lodged by a relative of Khan.
Additional Superintendent of Police Rupesh Dwivedi said that the accused doctor has a degree in electrohomeopathy.
Three persons have been arrested for vandalising and setting fire to the house of the accused, while a search is underway for others involved in it.
A group of right-wing activists and villagers protested the police action, and said the FIR over vandalism and arson at the doctor's house was based on a false story. The protesters also staged a road blockade in the Kishanganj area on Monday over the issue.
Ram Dangi, who led the protesters, claimed that the rape accused's family had conspired to file a false complaint against the villagers by fabricating the story of vandalism and arson.
Meanwhile, officials said Khan's alleged illegal clinic in Gujarkheda, Mhow, has been sealed.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rakesh Parmar said, "The investigation revealed that Khan was practicing allopathic medicine at the clinic without a recognised degree or registration. He was also operating a small six-bed hospital adjacent to the clinic."
During the inspection, a collection of allopathic medicines was also found in the clinic without permission, he said.
"Due to serious irregularities, we have sealed Khan's clinic and a separate FIR has been registered against him under relevant provisions," Parmar said.
A police officer said that an investigation has also been conducted at the Patalpani resort where Khan is accused of raping the woman.
It was found in the probe that the resort was not properly recording the information of guest stays and was not providing it to the police station in the prescribed format, he said.
Due to this irregularity, a case has been registered against the resort's operator, Ayush Verma, at the Bargonda police station under BNS section 223 (disobeying an order duly promulgated by a public servant), he added.
The officer said that correspondence is being made with the relevant departments to revoke the resort's operating permission.