A 23-year-old Dalit house surgeon at the Government Medical College in Siddipet district died by suicide after a senior resident doctor allegedly broke his promise to marry her over caste differences, police said.

Upset by his refusal, she self-injected a herbicide in the college hostel on January 3 and fell unconscious. Her roommates admitted her first to a hospital in Siddipet and later to a state-run hospital in Hyderabad, where she passed away in the early hours of January 4, officials added.

Following a complaint by the victim’s sister, police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested the accused.

The deceased, from a poor family in Jogulamba-Gadwal district, had studied in a social welfare school and joined MBBS at Government Medical College, Siddipet, in 2020. She excelled academically and in sports. Her parents work as labourers, and her elder sister is a software engineer.

She began her internship at the Siddipet college, where she met the accused, a senior resident, in July last year. The accused, who belongs to a backward class, promised to marry her but later refused, citing caste differences. Police said this rejection reportedly led her to take the extreme step.

Authorities are investigating the matter, highlighting ongoing concerns about caste-based discrimination and its tragic consequences, even within professional and educational settings.