Rajasthan: Doctor electrocuted to death by water cooler

Jaipur, Jun 19 (PTI) A doctor died after allegedly suffering an electric shock from a water cooler at the hostel of the Ravindranath Tagore (RNT) Medical College in Udaipur, triggering a strike by resident doctors who staged protests demanding accountability, officials said on Thursday.

Dr Ravi Sharma (35), from Makrana in Nagaur district, was posted at the Kherwara Community Health Centre. He arrived in Udaipur recently ahead of his scheduled joining at the Maharana Bhupal Singh Hospital.

He had been staying at the postgraduate hostel of the college for the past few days with his cousin Dr Prashant, a resident doctor at the same institution.

According to hospital sources, the incident occurred around 2 am on Wednesday night when Dr Sharma was taking water from a cooler in the hostel corridor.

"He received a strong electric shock and collapsed. Hearing his cries, other resident doctors rushed to his aid and attempted CPR before taking him to MB Hospital, where he was declared dead," Dr Prashant told reporters.

Following the incident, resident doctors and undergraduate students ceased work and launched a protest on campus, raising slogans and demanding resignations from college authorities.

"We demand the resignation of the principal and the hostel warden on moral grounds for this tragic lapse," Dr Ashish Mahant, Joint Secretary of the Resident Doctors' Union said.

Resident doctors assigned to the emergency, ICU, and trauma wards also joined the strike, disrupting medical services in one of the largest hospitals in southern Rajasthan.

An investigation is underway, and authorities are awaiting the post-mortem report while checking the electrical safety of appliances in the hostel. PTI AG MPL MPL