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Chandigarh: PGI tutor booked in radiographer’s suicide case
The FIR, registered at the Sector 11 police station under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, has named Ajay Sharma, a tutor in the radiodiagnosis department, apart from other unidentified accused
Two days after a 53-year-old supervisor radiographer ended her life on the PGIMER campus by slashing her wrist, police registered an abetment of suicide case against a tutor at the hospital, among others.
The FIR, registered at the Sector 11 police station under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, has named Ajay Sharma, a tutor in the radiodiagnosis department, apart from other unidentified accused.
PGI constitutes committee
With another suicide on the campus within two days, after a junior store keeper also killed himself, PGIMER on Wednesday formed a high-level committee to thoroughly investigate the cases. The committee will delve into the circumstances surrounding these tragic incidents, aiming to uncover any contributing factors and ensure a comprehensive understanding.
Suicide note recovered
Probing into the supervisor radiographer’s death, police on Wednesday also recovered a suicide note from her residence in Sector 35, Chandigarh. The note named Ajay Sharma for her stress.
The note mentioned, “I am attempting suicide. This is my suicide note, ask him (Ajay) to issue me end of life certificate. I am under pressure for the last 10 days.” Police have sent the suicide note for handwriting analysis.
On Tuesday, UT police had initiated an inquiry into the case, and questioned the tutor and his wife for hours after a formal complaint by the deceased’s husband.
The postmortem of the victim was conducted on Tuesday. However, the body remains at the hospital mortuary as the family is awaiting the arrival of the victim’s son from abroad.
Missing ultrasound parts add to mystery
Sources at PGIMER revealed that around five to six expensive and important technical parts of ultrasound machines, costing around ₹2 lakh, were missing from the radiodiagnosis department and the deceased was responsible for their care.
A staffer from her department, asking not be named, revealed that she was being blamed for the parts’ disappearance, and was also being harassed and pressured for their recovery.
As per sources, the victim was on a leave and when she returned to work, these technical parts were missing.
Her husband had instead laid the blame on the tutor and his wife. “The accused couple used to conceal these costly parts and falsely accuse my wife. They consistently pressured her for recovery as well. While it might be her responsibility, her duty was not to oversee the machines at all times,” he said.
Sources also said the accused couple had previously been under investigation for the suspected sale of technical machinery parts. However, the issues were resolved with the involvement of senior doctors.
Dr MS Sandhu, professor and head of the department of radiodiagnosis and imaging, refused to provide comments on the matter.
(With inputs from Shailee Dogra)
