West Bengal: Senior Medical Supervisor commits suicide in Jalpaiguri

Kolkata: A senior Medical Supervisor in Jalpaiguri district’s Ghugudanga area consumed poison and jumped into a well and committed suicide, following harassment by the local people over setting up of a COVID-19 swab testing lab and quarantine in the area. He died last night in the hospital.

Several incidents of harassment of frontline health workers has happened in the recent past across the country in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

The locals had objected to the idea of setting up the lab in the area and had allegedly pressurized on the person. An elderly citizen, the supervisor was scheduled to retire in September this year.

In a two-page suicide note, Debasish Chakrabarty has elaborately mentioned how he was harassed and pressurized by the locals, asking him not to allow COVID-19 swab test centre. Being a local resident of the area, he was mentally dejected over the matter and jumped into a well inside his residential premises. The neighbours rushed him to the hospital. He breathed his last on Wednesday night.


He also mentioned in the suicide note that when the locals harassed him, he did not get any support from his co-workers. “I have never been harassed in such a manner throughout my professional career,” Chakrabarty wrote in the suicide note.

Debasish Chakrabarty’s younger brother Ranjan Chakrabarty said, “My elder brother had consumed poison and then jumped into the well on Tuesday night. Then locals came and admitted him to Jalpaiguri sub-divisional Hospital.”

He was posted in Ghugudanga area’s Berubari as Health Supervisor. He was in-charge of restricting COVID-19 spread and thus was responsible for setting up a swab testing lab and quarantine centre. The locals were opposed to the idea and had submitted a memorandum also.


“He was a local resident of the area and thus people were pressurizing him. He failed to take the mental pressure. We feel sad that this unfortunate incident happened at this time when there was only four months left for his retirement. He was on ventilation and died in the night,” Chakrabarty’s younger brother said.

Debasish Chakrabarty’s daughter is studying in Kolkata. She has taken permission from the state administration and is returning to Jalpaiguri today, after Debasish’s family members urged the Health Department.

Known to be a calm, honest and good-natured person, his co-workers are also saddened by the sudden turn of events and how Debasish Chakrabarty died.



Chief Health official (Jalpaiguri) Dr Ramendranath Pramanik did not comment on reason of his death. We will investigate why he committed suicide,” Pramanik said.