Kolkata nurse found dead in NRS Hospital toilet, probe on

Kolkata: A female nurse was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a toilet at West Bengal government-run NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday night.

Her body was sent for post mortem and as requested by her husband, the body was sent to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital for the same. The nurse, who was on duty in a High Dependency Unit at the government hospital, had started working for the night shift. Rupali Burman reportedly went to the toilet but did not return.

The toilet door was bolted from inside, and when they failed to open it, two hospital staff broke it open and found her lying on the floor, the police added.


“Police have taken all necessary steps. The Detective Department will take up the case,” a senior police official said. Rupali’s father wants proper investigations into the incident.

After visiting the hospital, State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said, “The nurse was in the Obstetrics and gynae department. She was on duty in the night shift. Yesterday, at approximately 9:00 PM. She had just finished providing initial services to the patients as initial services are given after handover takes place at 8 PM. At around 9:00 PM, she went to the toilet.”

“Since this is a busy ward and the nursing staff are constantly busy. Our junior doctor, the resident doctor on duty, was looking for her because he needed details to write a discharge certificate for another patient. After a while, when the doctor noticed that the nursing staff could not be found and in the toilet for quite a long time, everyone became worried. After knocking outside the door, when she did not respond from inside, our Group D assistants and general duty assistants were called. The door was broken open and she was found in an unconscious state,” Mukherjee, the minister, who is also a doctor, said.

“Her body was lifted and our junior doctors rushed to see if she could be revived but it was unsuccessful. Subsequently, at approximately 10:30 PM, she was declared dead,” the minister said, as he visited the hospital.

“The police were informed immediately. At around 11:00 PM, the police arrived here, and subsequently handed everything over to the police,” Mukherjee said. The health also visited the police station where statement of all the medical staff and doctors’ statement was taken by police.

The deceased nurse’s husband Rahul Das and the deceased nurse lived in the Dum Dum Cantonment area. Her ancestral home is in Purba Medinipur. “We had sent messages immediately to both the houses. Her husband arrived after 11 PM. Everything has been communicated to him,” he said.

Das had submitted an application to the health department and the police stating that since she died at Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Hospital, the post-mortem should be conducted elsewhere and preferably in Calcutta Medical.

“We made all the arrangements and the post-mortem will take place under the supervision of the Head of the Forensic Department at Calcutta Medical College. Our head of the forensic department at Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College has also been informed.

“We do not know the cause of death. The police will provide the answers, and the post-mortem report will reveal them,” the minister said. “Let the administration and police investigation be done and the inquiry proceed first. Whatever items were found, everything has been handed over entirely to the police.”