An unfortunate incident came to light where a first-year MBBS student of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, ended his life by hanging himself with the help of a skipping rope on Saturday.
The victim is Rajeev Ranjan, who belongs to Patna. In 2022, he enrolled in Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur. The victim’s father works as a laborer.
Struggling with the recent examination results, where he failed in two or three papers, Rajeev had been contending with depression in the days leading up to the tragic incident. He took a drastic step to end his life in the old intern hostel, which is opposite Mayaganj Hospital.
The tragic incident happened on Saturday evening. At 5:30 p.m., Ranjan’s roommate reached the hostel and knocked on the door, but he didn’t get any response from inside. He tried multiple calls to Ranjan, but there was no response from Ranjan. Subsequently, he informed seniors and others. They grew suspicious and decided to break the door. To their utter shock, they found the victim’s body hanging from a skipping rope inside the room.
After that, the college authorities called the police. The Burari police reached the incident site with the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team under the direction of SSP Anand Kumar. Eventually, the police did not find any suicide note; therefore, the reason behind the suicide is still unidentified.
The news of Ranjan’s death sparked outrage among medical students, leading to protests and slogans against the medical administration. A candlelight march was also organized to demand justice for the victim and the resignation of the HOD of the Anatomy Department. Simultaneously, a doctors’ program within the medical college campus was stopped.
The hospital superintendent also came to collect information about the tragic incident. The police prohibited access to the sealed incident room. The police also emphasized that further proceedings will be determined after a forensic investigation.
The students wrote a letter to the National Medical Commission alleging that teachers in the Anatomy Department continuously harassed and mentally tortured the victim. Students also wrote about their demand for basic amenities, which are lacking and should be provided to them.
Additionally, students wrote a letter to the superintendent of JLNMCH, demanding the resignation of the HOD and the postponement of the first professional exam of the 2022 batch as they were struggling to take the exam in the middle of this incident. They also demanded compensation from the college authorities for the victim’s family.
(Inputs from various media sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)
