Harassment of any kind has always been a prevalent issue in the medical industry. Sexual harassment, ragging in colleges, discrimination based on caste, improper workload management leading to burnout, etc, and the list continues.
Unfortunately, another such incident has surfaced from Telangana as a junior doctor attempted suicide after alleged harassment from a senior doctor.
Dr. Preethi, a first-year MD (Anaesthesia) student at the Kakatiya Medical College, was found unconscious in a room of another hospital (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial) on February 22.
She had googled "What happens when a healthy person takes Succinylcholine injection." According to some reports, a bottle of Succinylcholine was found near her. There was a bottle of another drug and a Fentanyl injection. The toxicology report will reveal whether she has consumed the drugs or not.
She was later shifted to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Science, where she continues to be in critical condition.
The police arrested Dr. M A Saif, a second-year MD Anesthesia student on February 24. He has been booked under the charge of abetment of suicide. The police have also booked Saif under sections related to ragging and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police are waiting for a toxicology report for conclusive evidence.
According to reports, the victim felt 'targeted' and thought there were deliberate attempts to insult her. According to the Commissioner of Police, Saif used to constantly point out her mistakes in public and make her feel insulted before others, even in the WhatsApp group chats. The police feel this is a case of targeted harassment.
The victim's father, Dharavath Narender, ASI with the Railway Protection Force, has a similar narrative. He claimed that Saif has been constantly harassing Preethi since their college started in November. He said that the incompetence of college authorities left his daughter no choice but to take this extreme step.
The college students have called out a strike. They have good wishes for Preethi but believe that Saif should be released. The Telangana Junior Doctors Association extended their support for Preethi but claimed that the charges against Saif were false. They believe that conversations like these are common.
However, the Commissioner of Police believes that even if it's a common way of talking, if a person feels harassed, it is considered as ragging. The police have ruled out sexual harassment and love angle in this case. They are appealing to not believe in certain rumors circulated by people just for their political agenda.
(Input from various media sources)