Rapist of lady doctor at Anuradhapura identified as army deserter, parliament told

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army  deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.

“There are five police teams who are working on the case and the arrest of the suspect is imminent, “Mr. Wijepala told parliament.

The incident was raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa who said that this exposes the vulnerability of all women in the country to sexual violence.

 The lady doctor who was on-call duty last night and had been on the way to the on-call room when she was accosted by a man with a knife, tied up and raped.

‘We have never heard of such an incident taking place in one of our hospitals. Anuradhapura teaching hospital is a big hospital with many people present at all times. It is serious that such an incident took place while the  doctor was on duty. There is a serious problem regarding the safety of lady doctors as well as all women,” Mr. Premadasa said.

He said that this incident will cause trauma for all lady doctors.

"We vehemently condemn this incident. When we talk of national security, we are ridiculed but these are things that have to be taken seriously, ” he said.

Mr. Premadasa added that many speeches were made and even big events were held to commemorate international  women’s day but there are serious questions about the safety and security of women in the country.