Two dentists booked for abetment after assistant dies by suicide

The Pantnagar police have booked two dentists on charges of abetment to suicide after a woman, who used to work as assistant at their clinics, killed herself.

The woman’s family in a police complaint alleged that the two doctors harassed her mentally by blackmailing her with a private video of hers. They claimed that one of the doctors had sent the video to the woman’s husband, following which he beat her up.

They added that the woman feared that the accused may further defame her and her family members, and since then she had been under tremendous mental pressure.

The woman, identified as Anamika, took the extreme step at Kudal in Sindhudurg district on January 29.

Her sister, a Panvel resident, filed a police complaint. The local police registered a zero FIR and transferred the case to the Mumbai police.

According to the police, Anamika had married her boyfriend in 2006 and had two sons. The complainant told the police that her sister had informed her that her husband was a drunk and would often beat her and their sons.

Frustrated, Anamika had filed a petition for divorce. As she was not getting any money from her husband, she had been working at Dr Sudhir Ramanna’s Ghatkopar (East) clinic as dental assistant since 2016. In 2020, Dr Ramanna sacked her during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The complainant said her sister had told her over the phone that Dr Ramanna would often try to take advantage of her situation and try to get close to her. But she did not leave the job as she was under the impression that she would not get work anywhere else.

Anamika then started working with Dr Dipika Dalal’s dental clinic in Mulund. Dr Dalal was known to Dr Ramanna. Later, she left Dr Dalal’s clinic as well because she too used to harass her, the complainant said, adding that Dr Dalal would often send messages to Dr Ramanna from Anamika’s phone. Dr Dalal would then harass her, alleging that she was defaming Dr Ramanna.

On November 10, 2021, Anamika informed her sister that she would harm herself as Dr Ramanna had filed a non-cognisable complaint against her for sending him the messages. He also had taken her signature on some papers.

On January 28, Anamika called her sister, and she sounded very disturbed. She asked her sister to run away as Dr Ramanna would harm her and all her sisters. He would also harm her family as he had managed to get the details of all the family members.

“She did not reveal the exact reason and told me that she was going to take her life,” the complainant said.

When the complainant enquired with her as to what had happened, she told her that Dr Ramanna had a private video of her and he had shown it to her estranged husband, who then beat her up mercilessly. Following this, she went to her mother’s house at Kudal and the next day, she died by suicide.

The complainant said, “Dr Ramanna harassed my sister and created a misunderstanding between her and her husband. Dr Dalal too harassed her by sharing her personal details with Dr Ramanna.”

The police have booked both the dentists under sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

“The Kudal police registered a zero FIR against the two doctors and transferred the case to us on Thursday. The complaint has been registered by the deceased woman’s family. No arrest has been made. We are investigating,” said Ravidatta Sawant, senior inspector, Pantnagar police station.

Dr Ramanna could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off, while attendant at Dr Dalal’s clinic said she was out of town.