AIIMS Bhopal doctor suicide: Husband alleges mental harassment, toxic work culture

Bhopal: Following the death of a 24-year-old assistant professor from the Emergency and Trauma department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal, who had been undergoing treatment for weeks after allegedly taking an overdose of an anaesthetic injection, her husband accused the institute of subjecting her to mental harassment and a toxic work environment.

Medical Dialogues in Decmber, 2025 reported that an assistant professor from the Emergency and Trauma Department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, allegedly attempted suicide by injecting herself with an anaesthetic drug at home. She was on a ventilator and in critical condition.

After battling life for 25 days, the doctor unfortunately passed away while undergoing treatment at the institute. Even though the medical team made continuous efforts to save her, her condition did not improve, and she was pronounced dead.

Also read- AIIMS Bhopal doctor passes away 25 days after suicide attempt

The doctor's husband had earlier told the media that everything was normal at home and that family members were engaged in their routine activities. When he went to check on his wife, he found her unconscious. Given her condition, it was suspected that she had taken an overdose of a sedative. The family, he said, was in shock.

However, the husband, who is also a doctor, made serious allegations against the institute. He claimed that his wife worked in a toxic environment where she was repeatedly humiliated in front of patients and junior doctors. He also alleged that she was deliberately targeted by the department and that false and misleading complaints were filed against her.

Speaking to Free Press Journal, he said, "My wife, who completed her six-year residency at AIIMS, joined the trauma centre in December 2023, and soon began facing harassment. She was consistently insulted at all levels. Even during seminars, she was humiliated in front of juniors. Junior doctors were allotted chambers, but my wife was denied a chamber or office space."

"My wife was targeted. A complaint was purportedly filed by a patient accusing her of misbehaving with junior doctors. The complaint was in English, and the language clearly did not reflect that of a patient. How can a patient comment on a doctor’s behaviour with juniors? This points to the planning and conspiracy against my wife," he alleged.

He further said that "To boost her morale, he even suggested that she leave AIIMS; however, she said that she was mentally strong and would fight the toxic work culture in AIIMS, as she had completed her residency from AIIMS."

Referring to the removal of the head of department (HoD), he said, "The action was inadequate. Our family has been completely ruined. I have a seven-year-old son. We are broken. The HoD’s removal was not directly linked to my wife’s death, but to a complaint lodged earlier by another doctor who was shifted from the trauma centre to the anaesthesia department. My wife was not the only one facing humiliation. Others were suffering too."

Taking note of the allegations, the institute has constituted a high-level committee to conduct a confidential inquiry, though its findings are yet to be made public.

Also read- AIIMS Bhopal: Emergency Dept Assistant Professor attempts suicide, condition critical