Ambulance driver, aide molest woman; terminally ill husband thrown from vehicle for protesting, dies : Valley Vision

A horrifying incident has come to light in Uttar Pradesh, where a woman has accused the driver and helper of a private ambulance of sexual abuse that abetted to the death of her terminally ill husband.

The woman, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, hired an ambulance to transport her husband home from a hospital in Lucknow. During the journey, she alleges the ambulance staff made unwanted advances. When she resisted, the driver stopped the vehicle in Basti district, approximately 150 kilometres from their destination, and forced her, her brother, and her husband out.

The police, using surveillance, captured Rishabh Singh, an ambulance attendant from Ayodhya. The ambulance was also found in the same area. Rishabh identified the ambulance driver as Suraj Tiwari from Unnao. Despite searching various locations, the police have not found Suraj Tiwari. Rishabh claimed that Suraj Tiwari was drunk and harassed a woman during the incident.

According to the woman, she was forced to sit in the front with the driver and his aide, who began touching her inappropriately. When she shouted for help, her husband and brother intervened, but the perpetrators continued to molest her. They later stopped the ambulance near the Chhawani police station in Basti, disconnected her husband’s oxygen mask, and threw him out. They also locked her brother in the front cabin, she alleges. 

“The duo reportedly looted Rs 10,000 from her purse, as well as her anklets, mangalsutra, Aadhaar card, and hospital reports,” the woman told media.

Her brother managed to dial the police helpline (112) and ambulance service (108). “The police recorded our statement and said we should get the patient admitted and then come to the Chhawani police station to get the FIR lodged,” she said. The ambulance service got her husband admitted to Basti District Hospital.

“Due to his serious condition, he was referred to the Medical College in Gorakhpur. But by the time we could reach Gorakhpur, he had succumbed,” alleged the victim.

The case gained media attention, prompting senior police officers to intervene. Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, have condemned the government’s response.

“I want to bring about the point that the UP government has failed in securing the women and the incidents of Hathras, Ghaziabad, and Farrukhbad are just a few examples,” said Tiwari.

As per sources, the initial response of the police authorities was concerning. When the victim approached the Chhawani police station in Basti on September 1, they reportedly turned her away, asking her to go to Lucknow to register the case. However, after the case hit the headlines, senior officers started monitoring it at their level.