Police probe unnatural death of doctor at West Bengal’s Jhargram Medical College

The senior resident’s body was found alongside a syringe and note; police are investigating whether it was death by suicide, or if there was any foul play; protest rally to mark 90 days since R.G. Kar rape and murder

West Bengal police are investigating the death of a senior resident doctor, whose body was found in mysterious circumstances at Jhargram Medical College and Hospital (JMCH), seeking to determine if this is a case of death by suicide or if there was any foul play.

This comes three months after the rape and murder of another resident doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, with protesting junior doctors preparing to carry out a rally on Saturday (November 9, 2024) to demand justice in that case.

The JMCH doctor has been identified as Dipro Bhattacharya, a senior resident in the anaesthesia department who had finished his post-graduate studies from R.G. Kar. He was found dead on November 7, in a private lodge where he was a tenant along with other colleagues who alerted the Jhargram police when he did not respond to calls. At around 11 a.m. in the morning, the police broke into his room and found a note and a syringe near his body.

‘Threat culture’

According to the police, the cause of death was due to an injection which led to multi-organ failure. His body has been sent for an autopsy. Police have recovered his phone and are reaching out to the people he had messaged or called before his death.

In the note left behind for his wife, Bhattacharya had allegedly said that he was suffering from personal issues which he was unable to cope with, adding that the R.G. Kar rape and murder had pushed him further down the rabbit hole. He had also allegedly sent a message on an academic group of R.G. Kar Hospital doctors, complaining about the “threat culture” at the hospital, and those who accepted it “to save their jobs”. 

‘Mentally depressed’

The police are verifying if the two messages were actually sent by the deceased. “But it seems from our preliminary probe, the doctor was mentally depressed probably due to issues which were related to his professional, personal and family life,” a police officer told the Press Trust of India.

R.G. Kar medical officer Tapas Pramanick told The Hindu, “The deceased doctor has allegedly blamed some faculty, and has even named [former R.G. Kar Medical College principal] Sandip Ghosh in his note, and spoke against the threat culture which made him lose hope in the system.” Noting that medicine is a high-intensity profession, he said that doctors are becoming increasingly depressed. “Counselling should be started for all doctors to know their mental state and avoid any tragic incidents in the future,” he added. 

Dr. Pramanick also called for the police and administration to investigate any indication of foul play in this case. 

Protest rally

Junior resident doctors from across the State will hold a protest march on Saturday, to mark “90 days without justice” in R.G. Kar rape and murder case, and to protest the alleged delays in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe. The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) have urged concerned citizens to come and stand in “solidarity” with them.

The doctors have also called for a display of photographs, creatives, and artwork to be showcased at the Medical College in Kolkata, as a ‘Droher Gallery’, or gallery of protest.

(Suicide helpline number: Lifeline Foundation, +91 033 24637401, +91 033 24637432, Monday to Sunday: 10:00 AM to 06:00 PM, Kolkata)

Published - November 08, 2024 08:55 pm IST