Banaras Hindu University is one of India’s premier educational institutions. Under it, the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) was established in 1960 and was upgraded to the level of an AIIMS-like institution in 2018. Yet despite its stature, the institution has increasingly drawn criticism for its allegedly toxic environment.

On March 13 this year, Satya, a junior doctor from the Department of Surgery at IMS-BHU, allegedly attempted suicide. The excessive insulin dosage reportedly caused severe kidney damage. Satya, a resident of Samastipur in Bihar, has been battling for life on a ventilator in the Medicine Department for the past two months.

Instead of ensuring transparency, BHU has maintained what many describe as a shameful silence over the matter. The institution has allegedly attempted to bury the issue through an internal inquiry committee aimed at protecting those responsible. However, since an attempted suicide falls under the category of a criminal matter, many believe it warrants a proper police investigation.

United Doctors Front Chairperson Dr Lakshya Mittal wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government demanding an impartial inquiry under the leadership of the Varanasi Police Commissioner. Yet, critics argue that under the “double-engine government,” hopes for justice remain bleak.

Fear and Intimidation Inside IMS-BHU

At present, an atmosphere of fear and intimidation reportedly prevails within IMS-BHU. Following the suicide attempt, junior residents briefly staged partial strikes and protests to highlight their grievances, particularly the issue of illegal and excessively long duty hours. However, students were allegedly threatened into silence.

IMS Director Prof. S.N. Sankhwar announced that issues related to PG students’ duty rosters would be addressed, after which the protests were withdrawn. Frightened students, too, were compelled to remain silent.

Two months have passed since the tragic incident, yet no one is willing to speak openly. What exactly is Satya’s medical condition now? How much recovery has she made? What medical complications is she battling? Is she receiving satisfactory treatment? Does she require transfer to a better-equipped institution or access to expensive medicines and advanced medical technology?

No answers are forthcoming.

Similarly, there is complete silence regarding the internal inquiry committee. Has the committee submitted its report? Were any actions taken against the seniors accused of harassment? IMS-BHU’s silence on all these questions appears both mysterious and deeply troubling.

Endless Duty Hours and a Broken System

Government hospitals in India function heavily on the labor of medical students. These hospitals handle thousands of patients daily while facing severe shortages of doctors and nursing staff. The burden is often shifted onto junior doctors and PG students.

Unlike permanent staff, medical students can be pressured with the fear of academic failure. As a result, many are forced to work continuous 36-hour shifts. Their basic human needs — sleep, food, and rest — are frequently ignored.

What quality of healthcare can society expect from exhausted and sleep-deprived junior doctors?

(Postgraduate students are commonly referred to as resident doctors or junior doctors.)

Such extreme fatigue often leads to serious medical errors, though patients and their families rarely realize the real cause. Recently, a woman named Radhika Devi reportedly died in the same hospital after undergoing the wrong surgery due to mistaken identity with another patient of the same name. If investigated properly, the incident may reveal a direct connection between medical negligence and the crushing workload imposed on PG students.

The role of excessive duty hours in Dr. Satya’s suicide attempt must also be examined. Authorities should study the duty charts of Surgery Department PG students for the past six months and investigate how doctor shortages and prolonged work hours are affecting patient care.

What Do the Rules Actually Say?

According to the Government of India’s 1992 Residency Scheme rules, postgraduate medical students should work a maximum of 48 hours per week and no more than 12 hours continuously in a single shift. The same rules officially apply at IMS-BHU, which is being developed along AIIMS standards.

An AIIMS order dated August 21, 2025, reportedly reiterates the same norms verbatim.

Yet, at IMS-BHU and many other medical colleges across India, junior doctors are allegedly forced into illegal and inhuman 36-hour shifts. Fake duty rosters are allegedly created to conceal the reality.

The consequences are devastating: depression among medical students, students abandoning hard-earned seats, and in some cases, suicides. Parents of medical students are being pushed into helpless despair.

The National Medical Commission constituted a National Task Force on medical students’ mental health in 2024. According to its findings, 37 percent of medical students reported suicidal thoughts. Every year, more than 25 medical students reportedly die by suicide, while over 250 students abandon their seats despite fierce competition to secure admission.

The quality of treatment in government hospitals will remain compromised unless the 1992 duty regulations for PG medical students are honestly implemented.

PMO Reached as the Matter Escalates

Dr. Lakshya Mittal of the United Doctors Front has demanded justice while wishing for Dr. Satya’s speedy recovery. Since Varanasi is the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the matter has now reportedly reached the Prime Minister’s Office.

A UDF member named Rishabh submitted a complaint to the Varanasi Police Commissioner detailing the entire incident and demanding an investigation. The matter is reportedly being handled by Under Secretary Mukul Dixit.

According to the complaint filed before the PMO, forcing junior doctors to work excessively long hours may amount to punishable offenses under Sections 146, 337, 340, and 344 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint also states that such exploitative conditions endanger patient care.

The complaint seeks an audit of “work-to-rule” implementation under the 1992 Residency Scheme, which mandates a maximum 48-hour work week, no more than 12 continuous working hours, and compulsory weekly leave.

The letter further demands:

• A public health update on Dr. Satya’s condition
• Assurance of the best possible medical treatment
• A high-level police investigation rather than limiting the matter to an internal committee
• Meetings with parents of all JR-1 students to hear their grievances

Questions Society and Journalists Must Ask

This is a serious issue that society — and especially journalists — must pursue. They should seek answers from BHU Vice Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi and IMS Director Prof. S.N. Sankhwar on the following questions:

1. What are the official duty rules for PG medical students at IMS-BHU? Are the Government of India’s 1992 rules and the AIIMS order dated August 21, 2025, actually being followed?
2. If yes, will the administration publicly confirm this in a press conference attended by students and parents?
3. If not, under what authority are illegal and inhuman long duty hours being imposed?
4. If such long duties are indeed being enforced, are the actual working hours properly recorded? Will the institution release department-wise duty data of every student for the past three months?
5. Will independent citizens and journalists from Varanasi be allowed to investigate whether these excessive duty hours are negatively affecting patient care?
6. What is Dr. Satya’s current medical condition, and does she require any specialized treatment?
7. Where is the report of the internal inquiry committee? Why was a police case not registered despite the matter involving an attempted suicide? Is an internal committee competent to investigate offenses potentially involving criminal sections under BNS?
8. Will IMS-BHU publicly disclose how many hours Dr. Satya worked each day from the time she joined the course until the suicide attempt?

If IMS-BHU refuses to answer these questions, then citizens and journalists in Varanasi must undertake an independent inquiry themselves.

After all, this is a democracy. The public has both the right — and the responsibility — to ask these questions.