A 35-year-old senior resident doctor was found dead in a duty room at Delhi's Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital on Sunday morning, leading to an investigation by the Delhi Police, police said. A handwritten note and a personal diary were found in the room, and forensic experts are investigating the circumstances of the doctor's death.
The deceased was Dr. Simarpreet Singh Anand, Senior Resident in the Department of Anaesthesia. Dr Anand, who was originally from Ludhiana in Punjab, had been working in the hospital for the last three years.
According to police, the Civil Lines Police Station received a PCR call on the morning of July 5 of an unconscious doctor in Duty Room No. 109. Officers rushed to the hospital where they were told that Dr Anand had been on night duty from 8 p.m. on July 4 to 8 a.m. on the next morning.
Hospital staff became worried after they were unable to contact him. Because the duty room was locked from the inside, the door was forced open at around 9 a.m. Dr Anand was found unconscious and was transferred to the hospital’s emergency department, where doctors declared him dead.
Investigators found a cannula inserted into Dr. Anand's left hand during a preliminary examination. The cannula was inserted by a hospital technician at around 10 p.m. on Saturday at the doctor's request, police said.
Following the incident, the District Crime Team and officials from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini, visited the duty room and collected evidence. Police found a syringe, empty medicine vials, a three-page handwritten note and a personal diary that was found inside a black bag.
The body has been taken to the hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination. The police said the autopsy will be conducted by a medical board and the results will help determine the cause of death.
Police have confirmed a handwritten note was recovered from the room. But they have not publicly disclosed its contents. They say the note will be part of the ongoing inquiry and all relevant circumstances are being investigated as part of the investigation.
The Civil Lines police have started legal action and are recording statements from co-workers and other people connected to the case. The evidence taken from the scene (including forensic evidence) is also being analysed to establish a complete timeline of events.
Police have not found any signs of forced entry or foul play at this stage, they said in a statement. But the investigation is not over yet and conclusions will only be made once the post-mortem results are in place and forensic analysis and witness accounts are made available.
The tragic event has rocked the medical fraternity and colleagues have expressed grief for the young doctor. Details of the investigation will be revealed at follow-up.
