AIIMS doctor found dead inside south Delhi flat, police say he left behind a note

The decomposed body of a research fellow at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was found on Friday afternoon in his rented flat in south Delhi, police said. The 40-year-old was from a mid-nineties MBBS batch of AIIMS and had been staying alone in his flat for over a decade.

He had returned to the hospital for research in the paediatrics department on a project.

Senior police officers said that their preliminary inquiry suggests that the doctor allegedly hanged himself inside the flat. “The flat’s main door was bolted from inside. Prime facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. However, the reason is still not known. So far, no foul play is suspected.”

Police said they have found a note purportedly written by the doctor. A police officer paraphrasing the contents of the note, said that the doctor wrote that he was choosing to end his life as he did not see any reason to live for 70-80 years and did not want to hide his “mental condition”. The doctor was unmarried. The officer said the doctor’s family members have told the police that he had made a similar attempt on his life in the past as well.

A doctor from the hospital, on condition of anonymity said, “He had been undergoing treatment at AIIMS for a psychiatry disorder till some time back and after he became a little better, he lost touch with his regular therapist.”

“He preferred to remain alone and did not interact with others,” the doctor said.

AIIMS has seen a spate of suicide among its students as well as patients.

In the last four months, there have been eight death by suicides at the hospital.

These include the daughter of a deceased cancer patient who jumped off a building on May 9, a 22-year old man who hung himself from a staircase on June 5, a journalist, under treatment for Covid-19, who jumped off the trauma centre building on July 6, a junior doctor who jumped off the hostel building on July 10, and a person who hung himself in the bathroom on July 17.

Another MBBS student jumped off the building at the hospital just earlier this week. Doctors from the hospital had said that he had been depressed and under treatment at the hospital.

In Friday’s incident, DCP (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said that a call was received at the Hauz Khas police station at 3.10 pm, regarding a foul smell emanating from a house in an area close to AIIMS campus. A police team reached there and found that the house was locked from inside. They broke open the door and found a man’s body hanging inside.

“The doctor originally belonged to a north Indian state. He had last joined his office in AIIMS on August 11 (Tuesday). Other details about him and the exact reason behind his extreme step are still being ascertained,” the DCP said adding that inquest proceedings have been initiated in the death.

“We already have a student wellness wing, where counselling services are provided. There are counsellors available at the hostels as well. We have an emergency number where people can call too. However, we are looking at ways to provide better support to our students. It is unfortunate that meritorious students like the ones studying here are taking such steps,” said another doctor, on condition of anonymity.