Ferdous Khandaker, a New-York based doctor originally from Bangladesh stands accused in a class-action lawsuit after five of his victims spoke up after nearly two decades. The victims in question filed a case in the Queens Supreme Court in New York on Aug. 13.
According to New York Daily News, Khandaker faces charges on the grounds of sexually abusing his patients under the pretext of medical treatment. Some of the other allegations by the plaintiffs include assaulting girls as young as 14 in the guise of unsolicited general breast check-ups, insisting on unnecessary pelvic examinations, and forcing them to undress as well.
Skeletons came tumbling out of the closet after a plaintiff who went by the name “Dora” kickstarted a rather harrowing Facebook thread after she revealed her story in what is being described as the Bengali community’s #metoo movement.
“Everything was going normal, and then he told me to sit on the bench of the exam table. I did that, and he told me to sit up — he was just trying to check my breathing, he said. He was just talking to me, keeping me in a conversational mode,” said a victim who was named Bea in the lawsuit, as per the report. She recounted how Khandaker persuaded her to lower her shirt beyond comfort and went ahead to pull her shirt down while placing the stethoscope to her left side, exposing her left breast.
Aghast at what just happened, the traumatized teen vowed to never return. Bea added how the incident was too complicated for her younger self to decipher, and she decided to maintain a stoic silence about the incident up until now. Bea revealed that nobody except for her best friend knew about the incident, as she feared being ostracized by the community.
The Queens doctor, who was branded a “serial sex hunter”, reportedly slapped a libel suit against the three victims for tarnishing his repute, and sought a million from each of them. Scores of victims came out in support of the women who opened up about their trauma. The court however dismissed the case and ordered Khandaker to pay the defendant’s legal fees.
Khandaker and his attorneys are yet to address the controversy. The Bangladeshi medico is a renowned name in his home country, and enjoys the reputation of being a pioneer in terms of rendering “world-class medical services” while aiming for excellence in clinical care. He continues to consult and treat patients in his office at Jackson Heights.
