Agra Mental Health Institute: MD Psychiatry Student Dr. Vartika Singh Found Dead

The medical fraternity has been shaken by another deeply tragic loss in Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Vartika Singh, a 28-year-old first-year MD Psychiatry student at the Institute of Mental Health and Hospital in Agra, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday, April 26, 2026, under circumstances strongly pointing to suicide.

The Tragic Discovery

Dr. Singh, originally from Lucknow, had joined the postgraduate program earlier this year on February 22. According to police reports, her mother tried calling her multiple times on Sunday morning. When her calls went unanswered by the evening, she frantically contacted Vartika’s classmates, asking them to check on her.

Her classmates went to her room on the first floor of the campus hostel and found the door locked from the inside. With the assistance of the hostel warden, they broke the door open and found Dr. Singh lying unconscious on her bed. She was immediately rushed to the emergency ward of SN Medical College, where attending doctors tragically declared her brought dead.

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Past Harassment Complaints and Mental Distress

The tragedy is compounded by a complex history of mental distress and institutional friction. Dr. Dinesh Rathore, the director of the institute, confirmed to the media that in February, Dr. Singh had lodged an official complaint accusing a senior resident doctor of misbehavior and harassment. However, an internal inquiry committee cleared the senior due to a “lack of evidence.”

According to the police, Dr. Singh had been under immense stress since that incident. She had previously attempted suicide on March 27 by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Following her recovery from that attempt, her family had taken her back to Lucknow to rest. She had just returned to the Agra campus three days prior to her death, on April 21.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Syed Ali Abbas stated that while prima facie it appears to be a case of a sleeping pill overdose, the exact cause of death will be confirmed by the post-mortem report. No suicide note was recovered from the room, and her phone has been seized for further investigation.