Kolkata, 13 August (H.S.) : A 30-year-old nurse was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Kolkata’s Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital (NRS) on Wednesday night, triggering concern among hospital authorities and staff.

The nurse was found unconscious inside a toilet attached to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the hospital’s gynaecology department. The toilet door was locked from inside. After repeated attempts to get a response failed, her colleagues informed the police. The door was subsequently broken open and the nurse was brought out, but doctors declared her dead after examination.

The Kolkata Police Homicide Branch is investigating the incident, while a forensic team has also examined the scene.

On Thursday, Health Minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay visited NRS Medical College and Hospital and took stock of the situation. He spoke to hospital officials as well as colleagues who were on duty when the incident occurred.

The Health Minister said the matter would not be investigated solely by the police and that the Health Department would conduct an independent departmental inquiry. A committee has been constituted for the purpose. It will include the head of the Forensic Medicine Department at NRS, the principal, the medical superintendent-cum-deputy superintendent, the nursing superintendent, the head of the Psychiatry Department and the head of the sanitation department.

According to the minister, the committee has been asked to submit its report within seven days.

At the request of the deceased nurse’s husband, a fresh examination and post-mortem will be conducted under the supervision of the head of the Forensic Department at Calcutta Medical College. The Health Minister also cautioned against reaching any conclusion at this stage, saying it would be premature to claim that the nurse had died by suicide before the investigation was completed.

Police reportedly recovered a vial of a drug used to induce anaesthesia during surgical procedures near the body. Investigators are examining whether the drug had entered the nurse’s body and whether it had any connection with her death. This aspect is being treated as an important part of the investigation.

The deceased had completed her nursing studies at NRS itself and later joined the same hospital as a nurse. She had married around a year ago and was living in the Dum Dum Cantonment area.

According to preliminary information, she was on duty at the gynaecology department’s HDU on Wednesday night. Shortly after beginning her shift at around 8 p.m., her colleagues began looking for her. When they found the toilet locked and received no response for a considerable period, they became suspicious and informed the police. The door was then forced open, and the nurse was found unconscious inside.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the hospital to determine what happened after the nurse arrived for duty. Her mobile phone call records are also being examined. Police are looking into her conduct and activities at the hospital, as well as aspects of her family life. Her husband is also being questioned as part of the investigation.

The police and Health Department are currently awaiting the post-mortem and forensic reports. The exact circumstances and cause of the nurse’s death are expected to become clearer only after the investigations are completed. Meanwhile, her husband has requested that the post-mortem be conducted at a hospital other than NRS.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh