How a foul smell led to a gruesome discovery in water tank of UP medical college

The incident had created panic in the hospital, leading authorities to halt the water supply temporarily and alert the police. A joint team of the police, fire department, and forensic officials had arrived at the scene to retrieve the body.

The government also removed college principal, Dr Rajesh Kumar Barnwal, from his position. The hospital administration, however, denied that the water was used for drinking, asserting that it was only used for sanitation and other non-potable purposes.

Deoria District Magistrate, Divya Mittal, visited the site following the incident and constituted a committee to prepare a detailed report; this has been submitted to the DM, who has forwarded it to the government.

As per information, the committee found several lapses on the part of the hospital, including unrestricted access to the terrace, absence of CCTV surveillance, and the presence of objectionable items such as liquor bottles on the terrace.

According to police, a post-mortem examination was carried out on Friday and the report revealed that the cause of death was asphyxia (suffocation). Officials said directions have been issued to lodge a murder case to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gawande’s death. Doctors have preserved viscera samples for further examination.

The body was handed over to Ashok’s wife, Aneeta, who travelled to Deoria, said Circle Officer Sanjay Kumar Reddy, adding that the family has conducted final rites.

Police learned that Ashok had been undergoing psychiatric treatment in Maharashtra for the past few years.

During the preliminary inquiry, police said it was found that Ashok had recently travelled to Uttar Pradesh to visit his in-laws in Gorakhpur. But he stayed for just a few minutes before leaving without informing anyone.

Investigation revealed that Ashok then travelled to Deoria. There, a local resident noticed an injury on his leg and took him to the medical college. Once the resident left the hospital, Ashok disappeared, police said.

Asked how the victim’s family was traced, a senior police officer said that when the man was brought to the hospital, he had shared his name and address with the staff. “However, the address was unclear, so we sent a team to Maharashtra, where they used social media to locate his family and home,” the officer said.

He added that after the team met the family, they informed them about Ashok’s death. Sources said the victim had been living separately from his family for the past few years due to personal differences.

When contacted, the college’s acting principal, Dr Rajni, said she had sought a detailed report on the incident from the Chief Medical Superintendent. She added that she had only heard about the matter and would share more information after receiving the official report.

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