In a shocking incident, a 9-year-old COVID-19 patient was allegedly sexually assaulted by the sweeper of a private hospital in Chhattisgarh. The accused had reportedly been stalking the girl in the hospital located in the Rawabhata area of the state and would follow her within the facility's premises. 

The 9-year-old hailing from Nagpur had been living in Raipur at her maternal uncle's home and had to be admitted in a private hospital after she developed symptoms for COVID-19 and had tested positive. She was taken to the hospital on August 2 with her mother and sister. However, the girl was being followed by an individual named Kanhaiya Nishad, a 45-year-old sweeper at the hospital, since Wednesday and had allegedly sat next to her on her bed. The accused had reportedly asked the girl to accompany him to the terrace, which she went on to decline. But, the sweeper didn't leave the ward and followed the girl when she went to sanitise her hands, reports say. 

On Thursday morning, the girl went to take a bath in the hospital washroom and was followed by Nishad. Apparently, the accused had allegedly made his entry into the washroom saying he wanted to fill his bucket with water. The girl had then come out and was when Nishad had allegedly held her hand and went on to sexually assault her. Soon after the incident, the girl was discharged from the hospital. 

Meanwhile, Raipur SSP Ajay Yadav has said that investigations are ongoing in regard to whether the girl was tested before she was discharged from the hospital. The accused was arrested by the police and has since been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after a video of the girl and her mother went viral on social media.