Assam: 41-year-old doctor found dead in Guwahati private hospital, suicide suspected

A 41-year-old doctor working at a private hospital in Guwahati was found dead inside his chamber on Wednesday morning, with police suspecting suicide.

Soroj Doley, officer-in-charge of the concerned police station, said the doctor’s body was sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for postmortem. Police suspect that he may have injected himself with a high dose of a sedative, possibly Propofol.

“He injected a high dose of sedative, possibly Propofol, into his veins and this could be the reason for his death. As per the initial investigation, this looks like a suicide, but we are looking at all possible aspects,” Doley said.

Police were informed about the death around 9.30 am, following which a team from Bhangagarh Police Station reached the hospital and recovered the body.

According to hospital authorities, the deceased had been working as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) physician at the hospital for the past six years. He arrived at the hospital around 8 pm on Tuesday and stayed there overnight.

“At around 4 am, he told the staff that he was going to rest and asked them not to disturb him for a few hours. Around 8 am, the on-duty staff sensed something unusual and called the other doctors,” the hospital authorities said.

Police said used syringes and vials of Propofol were recovered from the chamber where the doctor was found dead, leading investigators to suspect that he had injected the drug.

GMCH principal Babul Kumar Bezbaruah said the postmortem examination would help establish whether Propofol had been injected into the doctor’s body.

“An overdose of Propofol can lead to serious conditions, including respiratory depression, cardiovascular depression and potentially cardiorespiratory arrest. We do not know the exact cause of death as of now and it will be clearer only after we receive the postmortem report,” Bezbaruah said.

Police said the doctor’s family members had been asked to reach GMCH and that the body would be handed over to them after the mandatory medical examinations.

Investigators also said the doctor was reportedly undergoing depression following his recent divorce. However, his family members were not immediately available to confirm the claim.

Police said they are examining all possible aspects of the case and awaiting the postmortem report to determine the exact cause of death.