Kolkata: A 30-year-old nurse has been found dead in a locked toilet at Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital (NRS) in Kolkata after her death, police are investigating the cause of that. The nurse, identified as Rupali Burman, was on duty at the hospital and was in the hospital when she went into a bathroom of the Gynaecology Department's High Dependency Unit (HDU). Her body was found after hospital staff contacted police when she failed to answer calls for help.
The incident occurred at 10:30 p.m., the Kolkata Police said. Burman's death had not been formally marked as suicide, and a post-mortem examination was to be done to determine the cause of death, they said. A forensic team has also been called to investigate the scene and collect evidence that could help investigators reconstruct the events following her death.
Kunal Agarwal, joint commissioner of police, crime, said the deceased nurse was working in the gynaecology department. In a statement, Kolkata Police DD Homicide Department has taken over the investigation and forensic examination and CCTV footage were being examined. The officer also stated that no conclusion on suicide had been reached at this stage.
According to the initial timeline, Burman's duty shift started at 8 PM on Wednesday. She arrived at Gynaecology Department's HDU nursing station and attended to a patient. She then went to the bathroom in the HDU area. A CCTV camera was set up outside the bathroom, and police have taken up the footage as part of their investigation.
Burman entered the restroom at about 10:20 PM, police sources said. The workers were concerned when she didn’t return after a few minutes, they said. At around 10:27 PM, they called out to her from outside the restroom but there was no response. It was then hospital staff who finally opened it and there was no indication she was responding, they said.
Inside, colleagues found Burman unconscious on the floor. She was brought out of the bathroom and put on a trolley before medical help was available, and she died before a doctor could treat her, according to the preliminary report.
The locked restroom and the unexplained circumstances of the death have also raised questions investigators are now trying to find answers to. The CCTV footage is being analyzed to determine Burman’s movements before she went to the bathroom, and to see if anyone else came out of the vicinity and entered the bathroom around the time. The physical evidence from the site will also be studied by investigators.
The body is sent for a post-mortem examination. The report will provide important information about the cause and manner of death. Until the medical examination and forensic investigation are complete, authorities have not publicly identified whether the incident was the result of a medical emergency, an accident, suicide or another.
The health department also has launched another inquiry into the incident. The investigation committee has been formed and directed to report its findings within seven days.
The parallel departmental investigation is expected to delve into the circumstances of the nurse’s death while she was on duty to investigate the conditions in the HDU and how staff members acted after she did not return to the bathroom.
Kolkata, West Bengal: A 30-year-old nurse, Rupali Burman, was found unconscious inside a toilet at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital and was later declared dead. She had been on duty in the Gynecology Department’s High Dependency Unit and had gone to the toilet around… pic.twitter.com/85wohonlKR
— IANS (@ians_india) August 13, 2026
The case has attracted attention because Burman was reportedly working in her regular hospital duties shortly before she was discovered unconscious. Police are seeking to question staff and investigate evidence as well.
CCTV footage, forensic results and post-mortem report will be key to determining what happened during the short period between her entering the bathroom and being found unconscious.
The local government has said conclusions should not be drawn before the investigation is over. With the Kolkata Police and health department now investigating the case, more details will be forthcoming after the forensic examination and post-mortem examination.
