Psychiatrist in India arrested for death of patient

July 20, 2017

RK Brahma, a psychiatrist in India, was arrested and sent to jail for 14 days on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.  

A middle-aged automobile engineer who was undergoing treatment at Brahma's nursing home was found dead in May.  Brahma issued a death certificate claiming that the man had died of "acute myocardial infection."  Relatives doubted this claim and filed a complaint with police.  When a post-mortem examination found that the patient had actually died of "haematoma" and "blunt injuries" on his head, police arrested Brahma.

A police officer said that Brahma first claimed the patient had received the injuries from falling down from the bed.  But when questioned about putting the cause of death as cardiac arrest, the doctor didn't answer.

The officer added that a preliminary investigation has revealed that mental patients are ill-treated and tortured at Uma Nalini Mary Clinic and Research Institute at KB block in Salt Lake. "It looks like the doctors had hit the patient's head against the wall that led to internal and external bleeding which killed him," said the officer.

SOURCE: Tamaghna Banerjeel, "Psychiatrist arrested for death of patient," The Times of India, 18 Jul 2017, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/psychiatrist-arrested-for-death-of-patient/articleshow/59652125.cms.