Nurse Found Dead in West Bengal Hospital Three Days After Joining

In a shocking incident, the body of a nurse was recovered from a hospital in West Bengal, India, sparking widespread outrage and protests. The 24-year-old nurse, a resident of Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, was found hanging in a room on the fourth floor of a private nursing home in Singur, Hooghly district, on Wednesday night, just three days after joining the facility.

The family of the deceased has alleged that she was murdered, possibly due to uncovering irregularities in the nursing home’s operations. They have also claimed she may have been sexually assaulted before her death. The nursing home management, however, has denied these allegations, asserting that the nurse died by suicide.

The incident has caused significant unrest in the area, with local residents, activists, and members of opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), staging protests and demanding justice. BJP workers blocked roads and burned tires, causing a six-hour traffic disruption, while CPI-M activists protested at Serampore Walsh Hospital, where the autopsy was conducted, alleging inadequate facilities and irregularities, including broken CCTV cameras and damaged morgue doors. The police have registered a case of unnatural death and initiated an investigation. Based on the family’s complaints, a murder case has also been filed against the nursing home authorities. The victim’s father demanded a videographed autopsy in the presence of a magistrate to ensure transparency, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 15, 2025, at Kolkata Medical College. The police are awaiting the autopsy report to determine the cause of death and proceed further. Additionally, police investigations revealed that the nurse had a heated altercation with her boyfriend, who was taken into custody for questioning. He admitted to refusing to marry her due to their age difference, which reportedly left her distraught. However, the police have not disclosed the specific reasons for his detention. This incident comes exactly one year after the high-profile RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case in Kolkata, which had sparked statewide protests and the "Reclaim the Night" movement. The timing of this tragedy, coinciding with the first anniversary of the RG Kar protests on August 14, 2025, has intensified public anger and calls for justice. State minister and local Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Becharam Manna assured that action would be taken if the police investigation uncovers any foul play. The incident continues to fuel tensions in Singur, with locals and political groups demanding a thorough and transparent investigation.