Workplace harassment drove PGI employee to suicide: Probe

A high-level fact-finding committee constituted by the PGIMER has concluded that persistent workplace harassment and mental stress were key factors that drove Narinder Kaur, a supervisor radiographer in the Department of Radiodiagnosis, to end her life on March 11, 2024.

The committee, chaired by Prof Arun K Aggarwal and including Prof KS Sodhi, Prof Ashok Kumar and Sanjay Trikha as members, was formed to investigate the circumstances that led to her suicide.

Based on testimonies from the victim’s colleagues, junior staff and family members, the committee found that Kaur was subjected to intense stress and humiliation during the charge handover process to her successor, Divya. The transition was marred by allegations of missing equipment, improper inventory and procedural discrepancies, which were later found to be mostly typographical or clerical errors.

Key findings of the panel

The committee concluded CCTV footage could corroborate sequence of events, considering staff accounts that several junior employees were involved in the charge handover process, which was seen as irregular.

Minor equipment discrepancy escalated into major threat. A disagreement over a UPS machine’s specifications, reportedly a clerical mismatch, became a source of undue pressure on the victim, Narinder Kaur.

The committee concluded that the institution failed to provide a transparent handover process and lacked any mental health support, despite the victim’s visible distress and multiple pleas for help. Several officials were identified as contributors to the hostile environment she faced in the workplace.

Staff statements indicated hostile work environment. Eyewitnesses shared alarming details, including repeated threats, coercion and humiliation during the handover. “Ajay Sir is threatening me. He will ruin my job and retirement,” Narinder reportedly said, according to Senior Technician Sushil Kumar.

Several junior staff, including technicians, were made to assist Divya in the handover, a departure from usual protocol. Their involvement raised concerns about harassment tactics and increased pressure on the victim.

In the days leading up to her death, Narinder Kaur was reportedly in deep distress, sending repeated messages to superiors for assistance.

Statements of various employees, including ML Gupta and Gurdeep Kaur, revealed that Kaur frequently expressed distress and claimed she was being mentally tortured by Divya, Ajay Sharma and junior staff members Amit, Navjot and Suraj. It was reported that a team comprising these officials accompanied Divya to take charge and allegedly harassed Kaur during the handover.

According to several witnesses, Kaur was subjected to repeated humiliation, baseless accusations and caste-based comments. One particularly disturbing remark allegedly made by Ajay was, “Tum machine ke parts chori karti ho (You steal parts of machine)”.

In her final days, Kaur was seen weeping frequently and reportedly sent multiple distress messages via WhatsApp to her seniors, including Dr MS Sandhu, the then head of department, and Dr Paramjit Singh. These messages revealed her growing anxiety and fears regarding the consequences of fabricated charges and threats to her retirement benefits. Despite her appeals for help, the committee found that her concerns were not adequately addressed.

A suicide note left behind by Kaur named Ajay Sharma, confirming the FIR filed by her family which listed him and others, including Divya and junior tutors Amit, Suraj and Navjot, as responsible for her harassment and abetment to suicide.

The committee, in its conclusion, acknowledged the systemic failure in stress management, poor organisational handling of the handover process and absence of appropriate safeguards to support employees in distress.

The report has been submitted to the PGI Director, and further disciplinary as well as legal proceedings are expected to follow.

Chandigarh