By Ashish Srivastava

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS): The administration of the Delhi government-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) has started an internal inquiry after its Medical Superintendent (MS) was accused of abusing a lady doctor in an unverified audio tape, officials informed IANS.

IANS has learnt through its sources that the decision by the hospital was taken after officials at Delhi Secretariat came to know of the matter which prompted an immediate inquiry in the case.

Dr B.L. Sherwal, director of RGSSH informed IANS that the matter is being investigated by the hospital's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).

"We are following the protocols as per the Vishakha guidelines. The probe by the ICC has started." he stated.

Sherwal said he received the complaint against the MS from the lady doctor on Wednesday.

"In our preliminary probe, the MS refused charges against him levelled by the lady doctor. However, since the matter is associated with the dignity of a woman involving code of conduct at a workplace, the hospital forwarded this case to its ICC," he said.

Sherwal also informed that no police complaint has been filed in the case.

Top officials of the hospital who have heard the audio told IANS that the a person having an identical voice to the accused was heard in the audio using sexually charged and derogatory comments against the lady doctor while having a conversation with a corporator of the hospital.

The officials also said that the corporator addressed the MS with salutation used by the hospital which is creating suspicion over his involvement in the audio tape.

IANS reached out to the MS for his comments on the story but our repeated attempts did not elicit any response.

The Vishaka Guidelines are a set of procedural guidelines promulgated by the Supreme Court to deal with the cases of sexual harassment of women at workplaces.