28-year-old KEM doctor kills self; body found on hostel's terrace

Dr Pranay Jaiswal

A 28-year-old doctor from Parel's KEM Hospital committed suicide by injecting himself with a yet-to-be-determined substance in the early hours of Saturday. His body was found by his peers on the terrace of the RMO (resident medical officer) Hostel.

The doctor, identified as Pranay Jaiswal, was part of the general surgery department. Sources said that he was suffering from depression.

Dr Jaiswal, who hails from Amravati, had completed his three years of residency at KEM Hospital and was in the process of completing his bond. A bond entails a mandatory year-long service at a public hospital, after which the doctor can seek a job in a private hospital. The tenure of his bond had started in June and he was to complete it soon.

According to hospital sources, Dr Jaiswal was a speciality medical officer and he had been staying in the RMO Hostel for more than three years.

Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean of KEM Hospital said that Jaiswal had informed his roommate that he was stepping out on Friday. When he didn't return by 12.30 am, his roommate tried calling him up on his mobile. Deshmukh added, "His phone was switched off. The roommate even looked for him, but couldn't find him. When his other colleagues were also unable to find him, they brought it to my notice at 9.30 am."

The hospital administration then filed a complaint with the Bhoiwada Police on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Jaiswal's sister was also trying to get in touch with him. "She tried to find the location of his phone and traced it to Shirodkar High School, which is close to the hostel building. We looked for him there, but he wasn't around. We then thought of checking the RMO Hostel building again," said Deshmukh. His body was found on the terrace of the building, around 11 am.

Jaiswal's body was found on the terrace of the RMO Hostel in Parel. Pic/ Ashish Raje

Apart from the body, they also found his belongings in a couple of bags. While the post mortem is yet to be conducted, Deshmukh said that Jaiswal had injected himself with a substance that is yet to be identified. He possibly died 12 to 13 hours before his body was found. The cops found a syringe lying around and an IV line in his left hand.

Hospital authorities said that the post mortem report may not determine what Jaiswal had injected himself with and that they'd have to wait for a forensic report of the viscera.

Jaiswal was working under Dr Abhay Dalvi and was interested in laparoscopic surgery.

While his peers were reluctant to speak about him, a third-year resident of general medicine, who lives in the RMO Hostel said, "I knew him because he would consult on our surgical patients. He was a good surgeon."

The Bhoiwada police have filed a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter. "Based on the statements we have collected, we have learned that Jaiswal was suffering from depression for the last six months, due to personal issues. We will know more, once we've spoken to his parents.

We haven't found any suicide note. We recovered his phone and will unlock it in the presence of his parents," said Vinod Kamble, senior inspector, Bhoiwada police.

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