Nursing staff found dead at NRS Medical College Kolkata, probe on
Synopsis
Two years after the R.G. Kar rape-murder shook the nation, a nurse has died under unexplained circumstances in another Kolkata government hospital. With the post-mortem pending and security reforms still questioned, Thursday's death at NRS Medical College risks reigniting a debate the Mamata Banerjee government has struggled to put to rest.
Key Takeaways
A female nursing staff member was found dead in a washroom at N.R.S.
Medical College and Hospital , central Kolkata , on 13 August .
She had been on night duty at the HDU of the gynaecology department before colleagues discovered her missing and later found her body.
The body has been sent for post-mortem ; police have launched a probe into the cause of death.
The incident follows the August 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G.
Kar Medical College , which triggered nationwide protests.
The TMC government had promised enhanced hospital security after the R.G.
Kar case; critics question how much has been implemented in the two years since.
Two other deaths at R.G.
Kar — a man trapped in a faulty elevator and a patient denied a stretcher — were reported as recently as March 2025 .
A female nursing staff member of the state-run N.R.S. Medical College and Hospital in central Kolkata was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the hospital premises on Thursday, 13 August. Her body was discovered in a washroom early in the morning, hours after she had been reported missing from her night shift.
How the Body Was Found
The deceased was on night duty at the high dependency unit (HDU) of the gynaecology department when colleagues noticed her absence from the ward. After searching the premises, they found her body in a toilet in the early hours of Thursday. Hospital authorities immediately alerted the police.
The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination. According to a hospital insider, the exact cause of death will only be established once the detailed autopsy report is available. Police have launched a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death.
Disturbing Pattern at Kolkata Government Hospitals
The incident has drawn immediate comparisons to a grim episode from August 2024, when the body of a female junior doctor was recovered from the seminar room of the emergency department at state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in North Kolkata. It was subsequently established that she had been brutally raped and murdered. That case triggered massive protests across West Bengal that spread beyond state and national boundaries.
Notably, this is not an isolated lapse. In March 2025, a young man died after being trapped in a malfunctioning elevator at R.G. Kar, which hospital staff reportedly failed to attend to for an extended period. In the same month, a senior-citizen patient at the same hospital died while walking unassisted to a second-floor toilet after being denied a stretcher.
Questions Over Security Reforms
Following the August 2024 R.G. Kar tragedy, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government had promised a series of measures to strengthen surveillance and security across state-run medical establishments. However, critics argue that implementation has remained patchy, with repeated incidents raising doubts about how much of the promised reform has actually been put in place over the past two years.
What Happens Next
Police are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and the direction of the investigation. The incident is expected to renew demands from medical professionals and opposition parties for a thorough audit of safety conditions in West Bengal's government hospitals.
Point of View
Yet three subsequent deaths at state-run facilities in under a year suggest those commitments have not translated into systemic change. The real accountability question is not just what happened to this nurse, but why two years and multiple fatalities have not produced verifiable, audited reform. Opposition and medical associations would be justified in demanding a public accounting of exactly which security measures were implemented, where, and how they are monitored.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was found dead at NRS Medical College in Kolkata?
A female nursing staff member of N.R.S. Medical College and Hospital in central Kolkata was found dead in a hospital washroom on 13 August. She had been on night duty at the high dependency unit of the gynaecology department when she went missing.
What is the suspected cause of death of the NRS Hospital nurse?
The cause of death has not yet been established. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and police say the actual reason will only be known after the detailed autopsy report is available.
How does this incident relate to the R.G. Kar Medical College case?
In August 2024, a female junior doctor was raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in North Kolkata, triggering nationwide protests. The current death at NRS has drawn comparisons because both involve female medical workers dying under unclear or violent circumstances inside state-run hospitals.
What security measures did the West Bengal government promise after the R.G. Kar case?
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government promised enhanced surveillance and security measures across state-run medical establishments following the R.G. Kar rape-murder in August 2024. Critics argue that implementation has been inconsistent, with subsequent deaths at government hospitals raising fresh questions.
What other deaths have occurred at West Bengal government hospitals recently?
In March 2025, a young man died after being trapped in a malfunctioning elevator at R.G. Kar Medical College, and a senior-citizen patient at the same hospital died while walking unassisted to a toilet after being denied a stretcher — both incidents pointing to persistent safety lapses.
