UP: Dalit woman found dead under mysterious circumstances at Shifa Hospital run by Dr. Zubaid; Investigations underway

A case involving the suspicious death of a Dalit girl has emerged from the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh with her family alleging murder. The family has filed a police complaint against Dr Zubaid and his wife Junaiba, who run Shifa Hospital, where the deceased was employed. They claim that the accused couple poisoned the victim. However, the post-mortem report has not established a clear cause of death. The incident occurred on Friday, July 5th.

The incident is under the jurisdiction of the Behat police station in Saharanpur. The victim’s sister lodged the complaint on Saturday, July 6th. She reported that her sister had been working at Shifa Jacha Bacha Hospital (Child Care Hospital) for the past seven months, which is managed by Dr. Zubaid and his wife.

According to the complaint, the victim left for work as usual at around 8:30 AM on July 5 but did not return home for over 24 hours. Her family initially assumed she was busy, as she had previously stayed overnight at the hospital due to excessive work.

On Saturday morning, at approximately 10:30 AM, the victim’s family received a call from Shifa Hospital, informing them that her health had deteriorated and urging them to come to the hospital immediately. Upon arrival, her mother and sister were told by Dr. Junaiba that the victim was unconscious and needed to be taken to a better hospital immediately. The complaint mentions that the victim’s body was found lying outside on a folding table and had started turning blue.

The family alleges that Dr Zubaid did not allow them to speak to the victim in his clinic. They then arranged for transportation and took her to the district hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The victim’s sister suspects that her sister was either given a poisonous injection at Shifa Hospital or was poisoned. The family also fears that the victim might have been raped. They have demanded strict action against the accused in their complaint.

The police have registered an FIR against Dr Zubaid, his wife Junaiba, and other hospital employees under Section 103 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS 2023). Police noted that no injury marks were found on the victim’s body, and the post-mortem report did not determine the exact cause of death. A viscera sample has been preserved for further investigation. Legal actions are ongoing.

The Saharanpur unit of Bajrang Dal staged a demonstration, demanding stringent action against the accused. Bajrang Dal’s Saharanpur functionary, Abhishek Pandit, claimed that the accused had planned the victim’s murder. He also called for an investigation by the District Magistrate to verify the hospital’s documentation and compliance with necessary standards.

Abhishek Pandit added that they would pursue justice constitutionally, both through public protests and in the courts.