Doctor dies by suicide, note reveals family opposed marriage to colleague

A 35-year-old senior resident doctor at Delhi’s Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital was found dead inside a duty room after completing his night shift, with investigators suspecting suicide after recovering a note indicating he was under emotional distress over his family’s opposition to his marriage to a colleague.

The deceased, Dr Simarpreet Singh Anand, was a senior resident in the hospital’s anaesthesia department and had served there for around three years. According to police, Anand was on duty from 8 pm on Saturday to 8 am on Sunday. He was reportedly at work until around 11 pm and then went to the duty room 109.

When he failed to emerge after his shift ended, colleagues tried calling him and repeatedly knocked on the door.

Receiving no response, hospital authorities were informed. The room, locked from the inside, was forced open around 9 am, and Anand was found lying unconscious on the bed. He was immediately taken to the hospital’s emergency department, where doctors declared him dead.

Police said a cannula had been inserted into Anand’s left hand around 10 pm on Saturday by a technician assistant at the doctor’s request during his shift. The district crime team and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) examined the scene and recovered syringes, empty drug vials, a three-page suicide note and a diary from the room.

According to police sources, the note stated that Anand was in a relationship with a female colleague from Madhya Pradesh, but their marriage could not materialise because both families opposed the alliance as they belonged to different castes. The note reportedly mentioned that he had been under severe emotional stress over the issue.

Originally from Ludhiana in Punjab, Anand had completed his MD in anaesthesia and joined the Delhi government service in 2023. He lived in rented accommodation in Lajpat Nagar while his family resided in Ludhiana.

Following the incident, Anand’s uncle alleged that he had been murdered and levelled accusations against a female doctor employed at the hospital. However, police said no external injury marks were found on the body, and the room was locked from the inside when it was opened. The duty room has since been sealed and forensic evidence collected.

Police said a board of doctors will conduct the post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death. Further investigation is underway.