Investigations into the mysterious death of a doctor at Hotel Iris in Safdarjung Enclave here have revealed that the victim lay unattended for almost five hours after falling from the hotel building last Friday even as the CCTV cameras recorded his painful death. The police has registered a case of causing death due to negligence against the hotel authorities.
The victim, Dr Suhas Godhi, a resident of Ghaziabad, who had come to attend the 36th Annual AOMSI Conference held at the India Habitat Centre, was staying on the fourth floor of Hotel Iris and was declared brought dead at Safdarjung Hospital when the chief organiser of the conference, Dr Anurag Singh, rushed him there for medical assistance.
Police sources said Dr Singh had received a telephone call from the hotel staff at around 6.30 am last Friday claiming that Dr Suhas Godhi was unwell. “When I arrived at the hotel, Dr Godhi was lying on the rear side of the hotel near the emergency exit. When we checked the CCTV footage, we found Dr Godhi stepping out of his room at around 1.39 am and opening the emergency exit door which led to his death as the door was not protected by railings or any barricade,” Dr Singh said.
“The CCTV footage recorded at 1.50 am last Friday shows Dr Godhi writhing in pain besides the hotel building but no staff came to attend him since no one was attending to the CCTV cameras in the security room of the hotel. The manager of the hotel claimed that the staff discovered the body at 4.30 am but no medical help was provided. They informed Dr Singh at about 6.30 am, causing further delay in medical help to the victim,” a senior police official said.
“This highlights the absolute carelessness on the part of the hotel with respect to the security of their guests. If due care was taken by the hotel staff, a tragedy of such nature could have been avoided,” Dr Ashok Godhi, the victim’s relative, said. The police has recorded the statements of hotel staff but no arrests have been made so far.