Dalit intern doctor dies by suicide in siddipet

A 23-year-old Dalit house surgeon at the Government Medical College in Siddipet district allegedly died by suicide after being deceived by a senior resident doctor who later refused to marry her, citing caste differences, police said on Monday. According to officials, the woman self-injected a herbicide in her hostel room on January 3 after being distressed over the accused backing out of his promise to marry her. She was found unconscious and rushed by her roommates to a hospital in Siddipet, and subsequently shifted to a state-run hospital in Hyderabad, where she died in the early hours of January 4 during treatment.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s sister, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and arrested the accused. The deceased hailed from a poor family in Jogulamba-Gadwal district, had studied in a social welfare school, and joined the Siddipet medical college for her MBBS in 2020. Police said she was academically bright and excelled in sports and games. Her parents work as labourers, while her elder sister is employed as a software engineer.

During her internship at the medical college, the victim became acquainted with the accused, a senior resident doctor belonging to a backward class, in July last year. Police said he had promised to marry her but later reneged on the commitment, citing caste differences, which allegedly drove her to take the extreme step.