Dalit Woman Doctor Dies By Suicide in Punjab, Kin Allege Caste Discrimination
“They used to threaten her that they will never let her become a doctor,” the doctor's mother Kamlesh alleged.
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A woman doctor working as an intern at the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Science and Research located in Amritsar, Punjab, died by suicide on the intervening night of 8 and 9 March.
Her family has alleged that Pamposh, a resident of Ramamandi in Jalandhar, was being subjected to casteist slurs by several doctors.
The 26-year-old’s mother Kamlesh Rani has filed a complaint at the local police station in Vallah, after which and FIR a was filed against 10 people including two professors and four students under various sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act as well as for abetment to suicide.
'They Used To Threaten Her': Doctor's Mother
In her complaint, Kamlesh stated that her daughter Pamposh was interning at the institute after completing her MBBS degree. She alleged that several doctors, including two professors, used to harass her by hurling casteist slurs at her. Due to this, Pamposh was very disturbed, her mother claimed in the complaint.
“They used to threaten her that they will never let her become a doctor,” Kamlesh alleged, and added that they had complained to the Principal many times but to no avail.
The incident came to light when she did not respond to calls from her family members for two days, a police official told The Tribune. When they came to the hostel, they found that she had died by suicide. No suicide note was found in the room. The body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem by a three-member medical board to ascertain the cause of death.
Case Filed Under SC/ST Prevention Of Atrocities Act
On her complaint, Vallah police have registered a case under section 306 of IPC (Abetment of suicide) and section 3 of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar told The Tribune, “The family has lodged a complaint against several doctors among others and we are investigating their role. Whoever found responsible for the incident during the probe will be arrested.”
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