Telangana Governor seeks thorough inquiry into medico suicide case

Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has asked Vice Chancellor of Kaloji Narayayan Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) to conduct a thorough inquiry into the suicide of medical student Dharavathi Preethi due to alleged harassment by her senior.

The Raj Bhavan has sent a letter to the Vice-Chancellor calling for a thorough inquiry into all possible angles to find out the truth. He has been asked to submit a detailed report.

The Raj Bhavan also sought a report on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place to deal with such incidents of harassment and ragging in the university.

The letter also mentioned about installation and functioning of CCTV cameras in medical colleges and teaching hospitals.

The Raj Bhavan also flagged issues like functioning of Grievance Redress Cell, addressing the concerns of victims, evaluation of the feedback from the medicos and their working conditions.

The governor has taken serious note of the incident in which Preethi, a MD student of Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal committed suicide.

Preethi, a first year student of the post graduate (MD) in the department of Anaesthesia in Warangal allegedly took a lethal injection while on duty at MGM Hospital on February 22.

The same day she was shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad, where she succumbed on February 26.

The letter also mentioned that precious time was lost in shifting the student to NIMS. It was felt that she could have been kept under treatment at MGM.

Last rites of the 26-year-old tribal were performed at Girni Thanda in Jangaon district on Monday afternoon.

While she was under treatment at NIMS, the governor had visited the hospital to enquire about her condition and to console the family members.

Warangal police on February 24 arrested Preethi’s senior M. A. Saif, a second year student in the department of anaesthesia.

Police said targeted harassment of Preethi by her senior could have driven her to take the extreme step.

Police booked Saif for abetment to suicide. He was also booked under Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Anti-Ragging Act.