‘Whether It's Saif or Satish, culprits won’t be spared’: KTR assures strict action in Telangana medico’s suicide case

Hyderabad: Telangana minister KT Rama Rao assured that the state government would investigate and take stringent action against those responsible in the suicide case of medical student D Preethi.

Preeti, 26, a first-year postgraduate student at Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Telangana’s Warangal, was found unconscious in the staff room of MGM Hospital where she was on duty in the early hours of February 22.

She attempted suicide by self-administering injections to herself after being allegedly harassed by her senior, said the police. Preeti was declared dead Sunday night by Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad where she was under treatment.

During a public address in Hanamkonda district, Rao said that the government would take strict action against whoever is responsible for the incident.

‘Whether it is Saif or Satish", those responsible would not be spared, he said. The Minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of politicising the incident.

As the news broke, several student organisations staged a protest outside NIMS demanding justice for Dr Preethi. Hyderabad police had to deploy a massive force around the area to contain the angry protestors from storming the hospital.

Members of student organisations also tried to block the ambulance carrying her body to Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem. Later, her body was taken to the family’s native place in Jangaon district for final rites.

Following a complaint by Preeti’s father, D Narender, an ASI with the Railway Protection Force of South Central Railway, police arrested Dr. Mohammed Saif, a second-year post-graduate student, on charges of ragging, abetment to suicide and harassment under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Anti-Ragging Act.

According to Narender, Preeti called him on February 20 and broke down on the phone over the alleged harassment by Dr Saif.