Alleged Caste Harassment: MBBS intern Commits suicide, 2 professors, 4 batchmates booked by police

Amritsar: In a tragic incident, a 26-year-old MBBS female intern of SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Vallah committed suicide at her hostel. It has been alleged that she took this extreme step after being harassed and abused by her seniors based on her caste. Following this, ten people, including two professors and four batchmates, have been booked by the police.

According to the police, the family members of the deceased alleged that several doctors had made caste-based remarks about her, harassed her and threatened not to let her become a doctor, due to which she decided to take an extreme step and end her life.

The deceased was working as an intern at the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Science and Research after completing her MBBS.

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She ended her life on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. Before committing suicide, the deceased informed her parents a few days ago about the harassment she faced at her workplace because of her caste.

A case was registered by the victim’s parents at the police station against ten people who were involved in her suicide. Following this, they were booked under Section 306 of IPC (Abetment of suicide) and Section 3 of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act).

According to the complainant, the deceased doctor was subjected to caste-based slurs by her seniors. The incident came to light when they tried to reach the deceased for two days but could not connect. Worried about their daughter, they reached the hostel and found her hanging from the ceiling.

Commenting on this, Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations), told The Tribune, “The family has lodged a complaint against several doctors and we are investigating their roles. Whoever is found responsible for the incident during the probe would be arrested.”

After conducting her post-mortem, her body was handed over to the family members. A three-member medical board conducted her post-mortem.

In response to the horrific incident, it has been pointed out that the college authorities were negligent in dealing with her case. Commenting on this, a police official said, “It was gross negligence on the part of the hostel and college authorities that she did not come out of her room for two days and they had not noticed it.”

On the other hand, netizens are furious about the incident. Raising their voice on Twitter, they slammed the accused and the college authorities for their negligence and demanded justice for the deceased doctor. A user sharing the incident wrote, “Sikh and Hindu seniors allegedly push a Dalit student to commit suicide in SGPC run medical college in Amritsar. Need to revive the spirit of Singh Sabha / Akali Lehar movements once again to fight caste discrimination.”

No suicide note was found in her room. Police said investigations are in progress.

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