Sinhgad Dental College HoD found dead; note mentions work stress

Pune: In a shocking incident, a 45-year-old professor and Head of Department (HoD) at Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital, Pune, was found hanging at his residence on Friday, police officials said. 

The deceased was identified as a 45-year-old dentist, working as the Head of Department (HoD) at Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital in Pune.

According to police, the case came to light when his wife returned home around noon and found him hanging from a ceiling fan with a dupatta. She immediately informed the neighbours and alerted the police. Officers arrived at the spot, conducted a preliminary investigation, and completed the panchnama. 

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a suicide note was recovered from the residence, which allegedly cited work-related stress as the reason behind the decision.

Speaking on the matter, Vinay Patankar, Senior Police Inspector at Sinhagad Road Police Station, told HT, “As per the suicide note, he died due to work-related stress. No other reason has been mentioned.”

Police officials said the deceased is survived by his wife and two school-going sons.

The deceased had served as HoD at Sinhgad Dental College for several years. Along with teaching, he also handled administrative responsibilities, according to Pune Mirror.

Authorities have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and started recording statements of family members and others connected to the case to understand the circumstances that may have led to the incident.

Investigators are also looking into developments at the dental college where the HoD worked. There had reportedly been recent issues regarding staff salaries at the institute. However, police said their initial findings indicate that the dispute involved lower-ranking staff members, not senior faculty.

Clarifying this aspect, Inspector Patankar stated that the salary-related issue appeared to concern junior staff and that no such complaint involving the HoD had come to light so far. Police also confirmed that the deceased’s wife works as a professor at the same institute.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and officials said further investigation is underway to verify the contents of the suicide note and gather more details related to the circumstances surrounding the incident.