NEW DELHI: A 35-year-old doctor was found dead inside a duty room at the Delhi government’s Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, officials said on Monday.Police suspect that the doctor was under emotional distress after his family opposed his marriage to a colleague because they belonged to different castes, according to news agency PTI. A suicide note was recovered from the room, officials said.The deceased was identified as Dr Simarpreet Singh Anand, a senior resident in the hospital’s anaesthesia department. He had been working at the hospital for around three years.According to police, Anand was on night duty from 8 pm on Saturday to 8 am on Sunday. He was reportedly active until around 11 pm before going to duty room number 109.When he did not come out after his shift ended, colleagues tried to contact him by phone and knocked on the door several times. After receiving no response, hospital authorities were informed.The room, which was locked from the inside, was forced open at around 9 am. Anand was found unconscious on the bed and was immediately taken to the hospital’s emergency department, where doctors declared him dead, police said.“A cannula was found inserted in Anand’s left hand, which had been placed by a technician assistant around 10 pm on Saturday at the doctor’s request during his shift,” a police source said.The district crime team and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini, inspected the scene and recovered syringes, empty drug vials, a three-page crime note and a diary from the room, sources said.“The note said that Anand was in a relationship with a female colleague from Madhya Pradesh, but their marriage could not take place as their families opposed the alliance because they belonged to different castes,” the source said, adding that the doctor wrote that he had been under emotional stress over the issue, police said.Originally from Ludhiana in Punjab, Anand had completed his MD in anaesthesia and joined Delhi government service in 2023. He had been residing in a rented accommodation in Lajpat Nagar, while his family lived in Ludhiana.Following the incident, Anand’s uncle alleged that he had been murdered and made allegations against a female doctor employed at the hospital.Police, however, said no external injury marks were found on the body and that a suicide note had been recovered from the room. The room has been sealed, and forensic evidence has been collected for examination.A board of doctors will conduct the post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death, police said.
