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Udaipur: Four resident doctors from RNT Medical College, Udaipur, have been on a hunger strike since June 25, demanding justice for Dr Ravi Sharma, who died after being electrocuted by a faulty water cooler at the college’s PG hostel. Today marks the fourth day of their hunger strike.

The protesting doctors – Dr Jatin Prajapati, Dr Tejpal Yadav, Dr Gaurav, and Dr Shalu have said their protest will continue until the college principal, Dr Vipin Mathur, and hostel warden, Narendra Bansal, resign. They alleged that the administration is trying to cover up the incident and has taken no action even nine days after Dr Sharma’s death.

Also read- RNT Doctor Death Case: Postmortem discrepancies spark hunger strike by Resident Doctors

The doctors pointed out that it takes years to train a doctor, yet the government and college administration are not valuing their lives. They questioned who would be held accountable for ensuring doctors’ safety in such conditions and called for immediate intervention from the government, reports Navbharattimes

The resident doctors have demanded that whoever is responsible in this case should be suspended with immediate effect. Also, the family of the deceased Dr. Ravi should be given proper compensation. The doctors, sitting on a hunger strike, raised slogans against the Principal of the Medical College, demanding his resignation

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Resident doctor Hitesh said, “We have been struggling for the last 7 days to get justice for our colleague, but the RNT Medical Administration is not paying any attention. Till now, no solution has been found in the case of Dr. Ravi Sharma’s suspicious death, nor has any consensus been reached between the administration and the residents. The scope of the strike is increasing, and now this movement has reached other medical colleges of the state.”

Meanwhile, the State Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the principals of RNT Medical College and SMS Medical College seeking an explanation regarding the postmortem report of Dr Sharma. 

Medical Dialogues recently reported that resident doctors escalated their protests, demanding justice, accountability, and announcing a hunger strike after a serious discrepancy between two postmortem reports surfaced, raising concerns about a possible cover-up on the matter.

Two separate postmortems were conducted – one by a team from RNT Medical College and another by SMS Medical College in Jaipur – both revealed different conclusions. The first postmortem, carried out by a team at RNT Medical College, noted only superficial injuries. The report mentioned marks of abrasions on Dr. Ravi Sharma’s body and an injury on the back of his head “caused by electric shock,” but did not clearly state electrocution as the cause of death. Investigators collected a sample of normal skin and sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.

Dissatisfied with the initial findings, resident doctors asked for a second opinion. A team from SMS Medical College in Jaipur, led by Dr. Deepali Pathak and including specialists in plastic surgery, pathology, and another forensic expert, re-examined the body. Their report confirmed electrocution as the cause of death, noting three distinct electric injuries. They also sent a sample from the exact area where the current passed to the FSL, though they pointed out that no such samples had been taken in the first postmortem.

Despite the confirmation of electrocution by SMS Medical College, RNT authorities have not yet officially acknowledged it as the cause of death. This lack of response has further angered resident doctors, who allege that the administration is attempting to cover up the real cause of death. In protest, resident doctors from RNT Medical College announced a hunger strike, intensifying their ongoing agitation that started on June 18, the day Dr Ravi died. 

Recently, Medical Dialogues also reported about a new viral video from the hostel of RNT Medical College in Udaipur that showed an alarming situation where electric current was found flowing through a water cooler, just days after the tragic electrocution death of Dr. Ravi Sharma, in a similar incident. The water cooler was found to be the same one that electrocuted Dr Ravi. 

The video showed the college warden testing the water cooler using a tester, which lit up, indicating a live electric current. This has sparked renewed anger among resident doctors, who say the administration is not only neglecting safety but also trying to cover up the issue.

Along with the hunger strike at RNT, doctors across other medical colleges in Rajasthan have also joined the protest. They are demanding justice for Dr Ravi Sharma, suspension of those responsible, and an end to what they allege is an attempted cover-up by the college administration.

A protest rally by resident doctors was also held today. A video shared by a doctor on ‘X’ showed the resident doctors walking while holding placards and raising slogans against the unjust death of Dr Ravi Shama. 

Medical dialogues had reported that a 35-year-old doctor was allegedly electrocuted while taking water from a cooler at the postgraduate hostel of Ravindranath Tagore (RNT) Medical College in Udaipur, who was about to join the Maharana Bhupal Government Hospital. Despite giving immediate CPR and rushing him to the hospital, the doctor could not be revived and was pronounced dead. The deceased, Dr Ravi Sharma, arrived in Udaipur recently ahead of his scheduled joining at the hospital. He was staying with his cousin, also a doctor, in the college PG hostel.

Also read- After Electrocution Death, Viral Video Sparks Outrage as Electric Current Found in RNT Hostel Cooler