'Why become a doctor with this face?' 6 Faculty booked for abetment to suicide in Bengaluru Dental student death case
Bangalore: In a shocking incident reported recently, a 23-year-old dental student allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her bedroom. Soon after, allegations of harassment erupted, and protests were staged demanding action from the authorities. Now, the accused faculty has been booked for abetment to suicide.
Meanwhile, according to a recent TOI report, the student's mother has alleged that the lecturers made remarks about her skin colour and questioned her suitability to become a doctor, asking why she wanted to pursue the profession “with this face”.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the tragic incident wherein the student was found hanging at her residence on Friday. Her family has accused the college of harassment, alleging she was publicly humiliated for not participating in a seminar after returning from leave taken due to eye pain. Following her death, students staged protests demanding accountability. Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
The student was studying in the Oral Medicine and Radiology division.
Speaking to IANS, the police had informed that she did not attend classes on January 7 due to eye pain.
"When she returned to college the following day, the lecturer allegedly insulted her by making sarcastic remarks about the eye drops she had used, asking how many drops she had applied and whether she had poured an entire bottle into her eye. She was also allegedly denied permission to present a seminar and was not allowed to handle a radiology case," they said.
Later, six faculty members of the dental college were suspended by the management pending further inquiry.
Initially, following a complaint from the mother, the police registered a case of unnatural death. However, on Sunday, she filed a new complaint alleging continuous harassment by a group of lecturers at Oxford Dental College on Hosur Road, following which a new case was registered.
Meanwhile, according to a TOI media news report, based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against the accused under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita).
It has been reported that the student left a suicide note stating that she was responsible for her own death and that no one else should be blamed. The note has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to verify the handwriting. Despite the contents of the note, the mother insisted that the lecturer had been continuously harassing and humiliating her daughter for the past year.
She claimed that the student was frequently scolded for being a few minutes late to class and was allegedly targeted for her dressing style. However, when she didn't respond to these criticisms, the lecturers allegedly gave her low marks in seminars. The complainant said that her daughter had told her several times about the harassment and humiliation she faced at college.
She further stated that the day before her death, the student had experienced eye pain and had skipped class. When she returned to college, she was allegedly humiliated in front of her classmates. The lecturers also reportedly questioned her about the medications she had taken.
Furthermore, according to the complaint, she also alleged that the lecturers made comments about the student's skin color and questioned her ability to become a doctor, asking why she wanted to pursue this profession "with this face."
