By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: In a suicide note to his parents before he took his own life, Vaibhav Duggal wrote “… I simply cannot bear the shame.” His heightened sense of anxiety had already been exacerbated by the email he received at 11:36pm on July 28, 2025 as he lay in bed with his girlfriend, unable to sleep.
The email was from Associate Dean of Medical Education Dr. Charlaine Martins informing him he was facing possible dismissal along with other potential disciplinary actions. Duggal was to present a plan to the Committee of Student Grading and Promotion (GPC) in 18 days and couldn’t attend clinical rotations until then.
As a third-year student, almost every day required clinical rotations and not attending them would leave Duggal far behind in his training at Texas Tech University Medical Center at El Paso and effectively end his life-long dream of becoming a doctor.
Hours earlier, on July 28, Martins had called Duggal into her office to tell him a patient in Duggal’s OBGYN clinical rotation on July 23 had filed a complaint with an administrative assistant four hours after the examination, saying Duggal asked strange questions and tried to follow her on Instagram. The patient asked not to interact with him again. The dean told Duggal “at least eight times” that he was not to have any patient contact until his GPC presentation and he was swiftly removed from his clinical duties pending an investigation.
Duggal insisted the questions were part of the pap smear and STD screening that the patient came to the doctor’s office for. The clinical protocol required Duggal to ask numerous intimately personal questions, including about sexual history and whether or not the patient engages in sexual activity with more than one partner.
She appeared to be nervous and said she had a jealous boyfriend. She requested that a nurse practitioner conduct the exam but permitted Duggal to remain in the room. As she was leaving, she voluntarily exchanged Instagram handles with Duggal inviting him to follow her on Instagram, since she was a nurse and they might run into each other again. Duggal realized it was a breach of professionalism and blocked the patient shortly after following her.
Deeply disturbed by the Dean’s charges, Duggal spent the next few hours researching ways to end his life. At 10:27am on July 29, Duggal purchased a gun and by 2pm, he crossed state lines, put on his white coat, and took his own life. His body was discovered after his frantic girlfriend raised the alarm when he failed to show for a scheduled clinic.
Duggal’s parents, Vivek and Neeru were shocked and stunned. They were slowly able to piece together the pieces of the story that led to their son’s suicide and are convinced that his death was entirely preventable.
They contacted their State Rep Cody Vasut who represents Dist. 25 and also works as an attorney. They have filed a $30 million lawsuit for $30 million as well as ‘expunction of any and all wrongful accusations and unlawful disciplinary action’ against their son, against the Texas Tech System, which has filed a motion for sovereign immunity.
The Duggal family said they are concerned that TTU Health El Paso has a “guilty until proven innocent” culture, and that emails show a decision about their son had been made before an investigation occurred.
The lawsuit claims that an evaluation form filled out by the nurse who was present for the appointment indicated that Duggal, ‘exceeded expectations for all eight categories evaluated, including professionalism’ during his time at the clinic.
‘We just do not want this to happen to any other family. We have got to stop this toxic bullying culture, this has to stop,’ Neeru said.
The Duggals are seeking to establish a law in Texas, similar to that in California named for Katie Meyer a former star soccer goalkeeper and two-time team captain who led Stanford University to the 2019 NCAA women’s soccer championship. Tragically, she died by suicide in March 2022 at age 22, just months before her graduation. Her death sparked major legislative and institutional reforms.
Championed by her parents, the 2024 California law mandates that any state-funded college or university allows students facing disciplinary proceedings to have a trained adviser present, addressing the severe isolation that Meyer felt during her own pending university disciplinary action.
The Duggals are planning a gathering at the Sikh National Center Gurdwara on the Beltway 8 North on Saturday, July 25 at10am, followed by langar, to celebrate Vaidhav’s 25th birthday and explain their case to the community. Those wishing to attend can contact the Duggals at 713-826-6876.
Credit: The Daily Mail, EverythingLubbock.com
