'She Mentioned Good Weather, Asked Me To Come': Father Of Doctor Found Dead

A cloud of suspicion has emerged over the death of a 32-year-old woman doctor in a Gujarat village, after her family rejected police claims that she died by suicide.

The doctor was found dead at her husband's residence on Wednesday afternoon, with initial reports suggesting that she died by hanging. However, the victim's father has formally raised doubts regarding the circumstances of her death, leading to a high-level inquiry involving the Revenue Department.

The victim, identified as Dr Minaben Vijaybhai Maru, was a qualified medical professional who had served as a Medical Officer at the government hospital in Kutch, during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was later posted in a village in state's Amreli district but had recently resigned from her government position to focus on the upbringing of her four-year-old son.

According to police sources, Dr Minaben was found hanging at her home, where she had lived with her husband, Vijaybhai, for the past seven years. At the time of incident, her husband was out for work. However, when her body was brought to the hospital for a post-mortem, her father, Pravinbhai Devjibhai, flatly rejected the theory of suicide.

"My daughter was a doctor, she was highly educated and had extensive experience as a Medical Officer. She was not someone who would take such a step out of ignorance," Pravinbhai told the media. 

He further alleged that there was ongoing domestic discord involving relatives living near the marital home.

He also said that he had received a call from his daughter asking him to visit her, but later learnt from her in-laws that she had allegedly died by suicide and that he was asked to come to the hospital.

"I received a call from my daughter in the morning to visit her because the weather was pleasant, but two hours later, I was told to come to the hospital only to find her body in the PM room. We suspect something else happened and we demand justice."

Taking the family's concerns seriously, the police conducted the inquest in the presence of the Executive Magistrate. A thorough physical inspection of the body was carried out to check for any injury marks other than those typically associated with hanging.

To ensure a completely transparent and expert medical opinion, the police transferred the body to Bhavnagar late Wednesday evening for a Panel Post-Mortem by a team of experts.

The police have registered a case of accidental death for now but stated that the final direction of the investigation will depend entirely on the findings of the panel autopsy report.