Student's death at Assam sports institute sparks protest, painkiller allegations

A student of the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, has died during treatment at a city hospital, an event that has triggered student protests and competing accounts of the care she received in the days before her death.

The student, Shruti Upadhyay, had been suffering from severe back pain for close to four years, according to her roommate, Shweta. Shweta alleged that the institute's doctor prescribed painkillers repeatedly without any improvement in her friend's condition.

"She was repeatedly given painkillers by the institute doctor but her condition did not improve and the pain kept getting worse," Shweta said. She added that Upadhyay was eventually asked to undergo tests at a hospital in Sonapur.

Demanding a thorough probe, Shweta said the investigation should cover the treatment Upadhyay received, the doctors who attended to her and the medical facilities available on campus. "Whoever is found responsible must face action," she said.

Upadhyay's mother has separately questioned how the institute handled communication with the family during her daughter's final hours. She alleged that no one from LNIPE called to tell her how serious her daughter's condition had become, and that it was Upadhyay herself who telephoned her from the hospital.

"I did not receive any call from the institute informing me about my daughter's condition. Shruti herself called me and said, 'mummy, I am very unwell. I am in the hospital'," the mother said, adding that she rushed to the hospital immediately.

When she contacted the institute, she alleged, she was told that Upadhyay was fine and that doctors were attending to her. On reaching the hospital, she said, she could not recognise her daughter. "I was shocked to see her condition."

The exact cause of death is still under investigation. LNIPE dean Shankarjyoti Basumatary said the institute had informed the police about the circumstances of the death and that a postmortem had been conducted. "We will follow protocol," he said.

The institute's vice chancellor met the protesting students and spoke with Upadhyay's parents on Wednesday night. The chief warden, Merlin Gogoi, has been suspended. LNIPE has not yet issued a statement on the allegations raised by the family.