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Colleague of Kerala doctor held on suicide abetment charge
A 28-year-old postgraduate doctor at a government medical college in Kerala was arrested on Thursday for allegedly abetting the suicide of a junior woman colleague.
A 28-year-old postgraduate doctor at a government medical college in Kerala was arrested on Thursday for allegedly abetting the suicide of a junior woman colleague, after backing out of their impending marriage over dowry demands, police said.
The accused, a second-year postgraduate student at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, was held under sections 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prohibition of Dowry Act, 1961, two days after his 27-year-old colleague – a first year student – died after she injected herself with a high dose of anesthesia drugs, police said.
The deceased, police added, was depressed over the cancellation of her marriage and found unconscious in the college hostel on Monday night. She was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead by doctors.
The doctor’s arrest came even as state health minister Veena George ordered a separate probe into the incident and announced his suspension from the health department. He was also expelled from the Kerala Medical Postgraduates Association (KMPGA) of which he was a state committee member.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also took note of the case and called for strong legal measures against the practice of dowry.
According to deputy commissioner of police Nithin Raj, who is in-charge of the case, a purported suicide note by the deceased that was recovered from the hostel room highlighted the dowry issue and exorbitant demands made by the groom’s family.
“While searching the room of the deceased, a suicide note was retrieved in which she said that she was in a relationship with the senior doctor. However, in the run-up to their marriage, there were discussions of dowry and more financial demands were made (by the bride groom’s family). The bride’s family could not meet those demands and as a consequence, the groom and his family withdrew from the marriage. We understand that she fell into a depression following this and took the extreme step on December 4,” Raj said.
Police said the groom’s family put forward several demands, including 150 sovereigns of gold, property in the form of land and a BMW.
The senior doctor was arrested on the basis of a complaint by the deceased’s brother. “When they retreated from the marriage, my sister slipped into depression. Had they drifted apart on friendly terms, she could have been consoled. But he withdrew suddenly and said money was more important to him. That remark hurt her very deeply,” her brother said.
“Their demands were more than what we could afford. He kept pressing my sister (over dowry demands), saying his father wasn’t agreeing to the marriage. I knew very early on that his father would not agree to what we could give her. I tried to dissuade my sister (from the relationship) but she loved him very much,” he added.
The deceased’s batchmate also said she was upset over the matter. “The day before her death, we had all gone out for a colleague’s child’s birthday. She seemed happy at the time. We are extremely sad that she had to take such a decision after that,” she said.
Police said further investigation into the matter is underway.
There was no immediate reaction from the groom’s family. The medical college has also not issued any statement on the incident so far.
Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Vijayan said the woman’s suicide was an “extremely serious” case and public opinion has to change with regard to the practice of dowry.
“Both of them were doctors and they could have led a happy, peaceful life. Society has to see this very seriously and the government also will take strong steps. We want women to be empowered and make strong decisions. If men ask them for dowry during marriage, women must be strengthened to tell them to go away. Parents should also give the woman the support for it. There must be societal intervention to make people aware that it’s wrong to ask for dowry,” he said.
While the woman was a resident of Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram district, the man is from Karunagappally in Kollam.
