Minor Dalit rape survivor, in critical state, waits for hours in ambulance outside Patna govt hospital, dies

An 11-year-old Dalit girl from Muzaffarpur, who was raped and stabbed, died at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday after being kept in a critical condition in an ambulance for more than four hours without admission on Saturday.

An 11-year-old Dalit girl from Bihar's Muzaffarpur, who was raped and stabbed repeatedly, died at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday. Her final hours were spent gasping for life in an ambulance parked outside the hospital, allegedly denied admission for over four hours.

She was assaulted on May 26 — stabbed multiple times in the neck, chest, and abdomen. Her throat was partially slit. Her vocal cords, destroyed. After her condition worsened at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), doctors referred her to PMCH on Saturday.

Her uncle said they were forced to pay Rs 2,000 for an oxygen cylinder as her supply ran low during transit. “Blood was coming out of her nose and mouth on Sunday morning, but no doctor came to see her,” he said.

The accused, Rohit Sahni, a man in his 30s, has been arrested. 

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan, addressing the media in Delhi, said SKMCH doctors had recommended transferring the child to AIIMS-Patna — a referral blocked by hospital authorities citing a shortage of specialists. “She died due to the apathy of the hospital administration,” she said.

Rajesh Rathorre, chairman of the state Congress media cell, who was present at PMCH on Saturday, said the child was admitted only after Congress workers intervened. “She didn’t receive proper treatment,” he said, slamming the government’s claim of making PMCH a “world-class” institution.

As public fury surged, a video of PMCH’s deputy superintendent emerged, where he claimed doctors from three departments had attended to the girl. When questioned about the delay, he stated emergency doctors had already seen her.

Health Minister Mangal Pandey has not responded to the incident.

This was the third reported rape of a minor in Muzaffarpur’s Kudhni area since May 26. Another 11-year-old was raped on Saturday. In nearby Vaishali, a teenager’s body was discovered in a sack — another suspected case of sexual assault.

On Sunday evening, the Congress launched a full-throttle protest — burning effigies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Health Minister Mangal Pandey in Patna.