Standing on the premises of St. Stephen’s Hospital, Dr. Shashwat Pande’s family said accused Dr. Suyash Gupta used to threaten and stalk him ever since the former joined the hospital in 2015.
“The accused would send him WhatsApp messages and text messages. Once he threatened to kill him. We don’t know the reason,” said Dr. Shubhra Phillips, maternal aunt of the victim.
‘Complained to police’
Recalling the last conversation with her nephew on Wednesday night when he had visited her, Dr. Phillips said that he had informed her that everything was okay at work as Dr. Gupta “has been suspended and doesn’t come to the hospital”.
Narrating the ordeal Dr. Pande had to endure because of his alleged stalker, Dr. Phillips said that he had complained to the police over a year ago of receiving threats.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Jatin Narwal said: “We had received a complaint that Dr. Pande was threatened by Dr. Gupta, but the former had withdrawn the complaint. They had come to an agreement”.
Talking about the violence allegedly perpetrated by Dr. Gupta on Dr. Pande, a fellow doctor from the Radiology Department said: “Once Dr. Gupta threw a wooden box at Dr. Pande in front of everyone in the reporting room”.
Director of St. Stephen’s Hospital Sudhir Joseph told The Hindu that the management had taken disciplinary action against the accused thrice for his behaviour towards the victim after several complaints. “Action was taken against him last year, then earlier this year, and then he was put under suspension on July 8,” he said.
Dr. Joseph added that the accused was mentally unfit and his parents were also informed and counselled but nothing came of it.
“He was diagnosed by the hospital’s psychiatric department of an illness. As he and his parents did not want to be treated at our hospital, he was referred to Ram Manohar Lohia, but he didn’t go through with the treatment,” he said.