New Delhi: The arrest of dermatologist Manish Gupta for allegedly bludgeoning and stabbing to death his domestic help has left the residents of south Delhi’s Mount Kailash baffled.
Several friends and acquaintances told TOI that they had noticed changes in Dr Gupta’s behaviour in the days leading up to the incident. Some described him as unusually withdrawn or behaving oddly for three to four days. A few patients, too, reportedly made similar observations. Some close associates said they were aware that Gupta may have been on treatment for depression, though none knew the specifics and described him as someone who rarely spoke about his personal life.
Neighbours, however, said there had been little to suggest anything was amiss.
For nearly 15 years, Gupta had lived in Mount Kailash with his wife and teenage son. Residents described him as reserved, polite and private. “Like any other resident here, he would smile or greet you. He mostly kept to himself,” said Varun Gupta, a resident.
Gupta built his career over two decades. An MBBS graduate from Jaipur, he later trained in dermatology in Delhi. Over the years, he had worked with several healthcare institutions. He also ran a private practice. One of his clinics was in Karol Bagh, which he operated with his wife, an Ayurvedic doctor. A framed “Distinguished Doctor Award 2017” from the Indian Medical Association’s south Delhi branch hangs inside the Karol Bagh clinic.
Gupta was also associated with Jampur Charitable Dispensary and was known for treating residents who approached him for advice.
Several house helps in the area recalled that he had treated them or their family members several times. One help said Gupta had recently treated her son’s skin allergy.
Friends also remembered him as someone who regularly contributed to charitable causes, particularly animal welfare initiatives. Amit Vohra, who runs a dog shelter said, “In the multiple NGOs that I manage, Manish was the first to come forward to donate, and those who knew him knew exactly this charitable nature of his. Even during Covid, he and some of our friends got together to collect oxygen cylinders,” Vohra said.
He said it seemed impossible to comprehend that the doctor had killed his house help of over 15 years. “When I heard there had been a murder in the area, the first person I called up was Manish around 12.30 pm. He did not pick up. When I later learnt that he was the one accused of the murder I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
For many in Mount Kailash, it is this contradiction that now defines the case: a doctor known professionally and socially for years, accused of violence against a woman who had worked in his household for over a decade.
