A well-known drug rehabilitation specialist and psychiatrist has been accused of sexual abuse and rape.
Dr Shivkumar Utture, President, Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), said they have received a complaint copy against Dr Yusuf Merchant on Thursday evening. The copy of the complaint will be shared with Dr Merchant and he will need to file a reply on the complaint. Course of action will be decided after Dr Merchant files his response.
“We will go through the complaint received and it will be shared to Dr Merchant to which he needs to reply within 15 days. Once we get the response from him it will be checked by us and then we will decide whether it needs to be referred to the ethical committee for hearing,” Dr Shivkumar Utture said.
Dr Yusuf Merchant is founder president of Drug Abuse Information, Rehabilitation and Research Centre (DAIRRC). He is a renowned personality in Mumbai and across the country on drug addiction and mental health.
A complaint which was filed by People Against Rehab Abuse (PARA), a group comprising of doctors, lawyers, journalists and writers. The complaint has seven testimonies, of which five have accused Dr Merchant of sexual assaults, and two of physical violence. Meanwhile, Dr Merchant has dismissed all allegations levelled against him, including the testimony of the victims. He also said this is a conspiracy to tarnish his image.
(Inputs from Swapnil Mishra)
