NHRC seeks report from AIIMS Bhopal, Police over assistant professor's suicide allegedly linked to workplace harassment

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 5 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of a complaint alleging that a female assistant professor at AIIMS Bhopal died by suicide following alleged harassment by her Head of Department (HOD) and sought an action taken report from the authorities concerned within 15 days.
The Bench of the Commission, presided over by member Priyank Kanoongo, directed that notices be issued to the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, the Director of AIIMS Bhopal and the Commissioner of Police, Bhopal.
The Commission has asked the authorities to conduct an inquiry into the allegations and submit relevant documents, including copies of the FIR, the post-mortem report and other records related to the case within 15 days.
Meanwhile, speaking to ANI, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo says, "We have received a complaint that a female anaesthetist assistant professor committed suicide because of her HOD's harassment. This incident is two months old, but the complainant said that there was no proper action taken in the case. The victim had complained three times against her HOD to the administration before her death. There are allegations that no action was taken on those complaints, resulting in her taking the serious step of committing suicide."
"The fact that there was no action taken even after complaints is quite worrying. Therefore, we have sent a notice asking for a detailed report regarding the case within 15 days to the secretary of Health Ministry of India, Bhopal Police and AIIMS administration. We have asked for FIR copy, post-mortem report and information about the institute's Internal Complaints resolution procedure, including the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) committee," Kanoongo said.
According to the copy of the notice issued on March 2, the complainant alleged that the Assistant Professor at AIIMS Bhopal died on January 5, 2026 due to severe mental harassment and a toxic work culture allegedly created by her Head of Department. The complainant further alleged that despite sending emails regarding her distress, the administration took no action.
Additionally, it was also alleged that no FIR was registered and previous complaints by other female doctors were suppressed. The complainant sought the intervention of the Commission and requested a high-level independent inquiry into the death.
The commission observed that the allegations made in the complaint, prima facie, appear to be violations of the human rights of the victim and issued the notice to the authorities concerned, seeking a detailed action-taken report within 15 days. (ANI)