Nurse commits suicide in Himachal, alleges torture by senior ward sister

Shimla: A nurse allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her rented accommodation here, police said on October 4.

In her suicide note, Monika Kankoria (32), who was posted at Dr Radha Krishnan Government Medical College here, had alleged that she was being tortured by a senior ward sister, they said. However, the name of the accused has not been mentioned in the note, police said.

Police said they were informed by Kankoria's landlord about her hanging herself October 3 evening. When police reached at her rented accommodation at Baral village on the outskirts of the town, they found a suicide not in which Kankoria had alleged that she was being harassed by a senior ward sister, they said.

On October 4, Kankoria's parents and other family members blocked the Dharamshala-Shimla road at Bhota Chowk here for over an hour, demanding the arrest of the accused for "instigating" their daughter to take the extreme step. They said Kankoria had told them many times that a senior ward sister at the hospital was torturing her.

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Senior police officers and Hamirpur Sub District Magistrate reached the spot and persuaded the agitators to lift the blockade and assured them that the guilty would be arrested soon. When contacted, Hamirpur Superintendent of Police Arjit Sen Thakur told PTI, "The matter is being investigated and the culprit is being identified. Strong action will be taken against the guilty."

Police have registered a case under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC in the matter. However, no one has been named in the FIR. Principal of the medical college, Dr Anil Chauhan, said that they were cooperating with the district administration and police in the probe. He said the college authority had already set up a grievance redressal cell to address the problems faced by the staff. The heads of various departments hold meetings of their units before the final meeting every month, he added.

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