In a shocking incident, a TB patient was allegedly raped at a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district, about 400 km from here.

According to the police sources here, the victim, who had been undergoing treatment at the hospital, was allegedly raped by a staff member late on Friday night. Sources said that the victim was taken to the chamber of a senior official by the accused on the pretext of administering an injection. She was raped after being injected with a sedative that rendered her unconscious, sources said.

Sources said that the unsuspecting attendants did not accompany the victim as they were told that she urgently needed to be given the injection and that she would be back to her ward soon after that.

A case was registered in this connection by the police and the victim was sent for medical examination. Police said that the accused had been absconding and a hunt had been launched to nab him. Barely a few months back, a minor had allegedly been gang-raped while she lay on her bed in the ICU of a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly town, about 250 km from here.

The culprits, who were hospital staff, allegedly administered some sedative to the victim and blindfolded her before sexually assaulting her on Thursday, sources said. Other patients in the ICU did not know about the sexual assault as the victim's bed was covered by curtains from all sides.