KOPPAL: A taluk hospital health officer has been named as an accused in the FIR on charges of destruction of evidence in connection with a gang-rape case in Karnataka's Koppal district, police said on Thursday.
According to the police, although the accused in the gang-rape case were arrested within a few hours of the incident, the role of Yalaburga taluk health officer Dr Shivakumar in allegedly protecting the accused has come to light during the investigation.
The police have booked the health officer under Section 238(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to knowingly causing evidence of an offence to disappear or providing false information to shield an offender from legal punishment.
The police stated that the negligence of the health officer is prima facie evident. Police personnel had signed the materials and evidence collected in the presence of the doctor. However, it is alleged that the accused doctor ensured that 16 pieces of material and DNA evidence gathered during the investigation were concealed.