Suicide after 'workplace torment'

Doctor refutes rape charges, accuses peers of pushing him to suicide in chilling letter

HYDERABAD:

A Chief Medical Officer of civil hospital Mithi, Tharparkar district, committed suicide on Friday night, due to being allegedly pestered by his senior and junior colleagues in the hospital after he was framed with allegation of raping a male nurse. The dead body of Dr Abdul Kareem Shaikh was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his official quarter, according to Mithi's DSP Majid Qaimkhani who along with SHO Mubarak Rajar were first to visit the crime scene.

His dead body was later shifted to the hospital for postmortem. Before taking his life the doctor wrote a two-page letter, addressed to the police officials, narrating his ordeal and accusing colleagues for creating circumstances for him to kill himself. The DSP said they have started investigation on the basis of that letter as well.

Shaikh, who worked as the night shift hospital in charge, refuted charges of rape and instead accused male nurse Manthar Bheel for using abusive language during an altercation with him in the hospital. He submitted a written complaint against Bheel with the medical superintendent Dr Haresh Kumar Jaggani who constituted a two-member committee comprising Additional MS Dr Mohan Lal Khatri and Dr Abdul Malik Nohrio to conduct an inquiry.

"They all together made me mentally ill," Dr Shaikh alleged. "I couldn't sleep at nights for many days due to this stress." Stating mobile phone's pin in that letter, he urged the readers to inform his son Muhammad Sadiq Shaikh about his suicide and to console him as well. However, he made a death wish to his colleague Dr Mujeeb Chandio to bury him in an undisclosed place and to remove any mark of his grave as well.

He warned Dr Chandio that he would hold him accountable on the day of judgment if he did not implement his dying wish. He also asked his son Sadiq to pay any amount of money that is owed by him to his brother Abdul Aziz Shaikh. According to him, he had informed Dr Jaggani about his planned suicide before committing it. Dr Jaggani, Dr Khatri, Dr Nohrio, Bheel and Sardar Bheel have been accused in the letter for Shaikh's death.

Talking to the media, the MS expressed sadness over his subordinate's death, claiming that he timely informed the police and other doctors about Dr Shaikh's intention of committing suicide. He also welcomed any inquiry into the allegations which were levelled by the deceased.