Kolkata: A 28-year-old junior doctor was found hanging in his room at a hostel in Nagerbazar, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, on Sunday, November 8, and police have begun an investigation after his family alleged that he was either murdered or driven to suicide, news agency IANS reported on Monday.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

The deceased was identified as Avijit Sarkar, who was working as house staff at the state-run N.R.S. Medical College and Hospital at Sealdah in central Kolkata. He stayed at the Nagerbazar hostel because of his work, reports said.

According to the family, hostel authorities telephoned them at around 4 p.m. on Sunday and informed them that Sarkar had been found hanging in his room. He was rushed to the nearby state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, IANS reported.

Police said they suspect the death to be a case of suicide. The family, however, has rejected that assessment, alleging that Sarkar was either murdered in a planned manner or that it was a case of abetment to suicide. Family members reached Nagerbazar Police Station to file a formal complaint, according to the reports.

The family told reporters on Monday morning that Sarkar had made several suggestive posts on social media in the days before his death, and police are examining his mobile phone and social media activity as part of the investigation, ENewsTime reported.

Source: ENewsTime

Sarkar was a resident of Sapjala in Majhergram in West Bengal's Nadia district. He completed his MBBS from NRS Medical College in 2018 and was currently working at the same institution as house staff, reports said.

Police said the real cause of death would be clear once the initial autopsy report is available, and investigators have not reached a final conclusion on the cause or circumstances of the death. Awaaz Punjab is reporting the family's claims strictly as allegations; no finding of foul play has been made by police so far.