Medical student, 24, died by suicide in his white coat a day after he was suspended for alleged 'inappropriate' behavior towards female patient, lawsuit alleges, as his heartbreaking goodbye note to parents is revealed

By BETHAN SEXTON, US ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Published: 17:06, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 17:07, 9 June 2026 A promising medical student died by suicide a day after he was suspended by his university following an allegation he behaved inappropriately towards a female patient. Vaibhav Duggal, 24, took his own life wearing his white doctor's coat on July 29, 2025, just hours after the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso launched an investigation into the complaint. The third year medical student was accused of asking a female OBGYN patient inappropriate questions about her relationship status and briefly following her on social media, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents and obtained by the Daily Mail. The filing claims that Duggal asked pertinent questions for a sexual health screening and swapped his social media information with the patient as she was also a medical professional. He then blocked the woman from Instagram after realizing he had possibly crossed a professional boundary, the lawsuit alleges. However, the patient lodged a complaint with the university and he was swiftly removed from his clinical duties pending an investigation, according to the complaint. Duggal met with the school's Associate Dean of Medical Education Dr Martins on July 28, 2025, who sent an email at 11.36pm informing him he was facing possible dismissal, per the filings. His parents Vivek and Neeru Duggal told the Daily Mail the prospect of losing his lifelong dream of becoming a medic sparked a mental health crisis, which was exacerbated when he was allegedly unable to access any student counseling services. Medical student Vaibhav Duggal, 24, died by suicide on July 29, 2025 hours after he was informed he was being investigated over allegations he was inappropriate with a female patient They included his heartbreaking suicide note in their lawsuit, which reads: 'I have failed you. I have failed in being a good son. I am facing dismissal from school due to a lapse in professionalism. I simply cannot bear the shame.' His parents are now suing the university claiming they failed to follow their own guidelines and created a 'toxic' situation which led their son to take his own life.  'A single, unsubstantiated grievance filed by a blocked Instagram user was processed by the Defendant’s unforgiving and unjust machine into a force that unjustly and wrongfully took his young promising life in less than 24 hours,' the complaint reads. Vivek told the Daily Mail: 'It has been ten months and we are still waiting for justice.' The TTUHSC's defense is based on Texas' laws on sovereign immunity which provide blanket protections against liability except under specific instances of negligence. But Vivek said: 'My son was one of their best students, there was not a single blemish on his record and just a mere allegation and you are telling him he is removed? There was not any due process.' Duggal had dreamed of becoming a doctor since he was eight years old and spent his youth volunteering at various medical institutions, according to the lawsuit. He studied biology and neuroscience at Texas A&M University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA, per the complaint. Duggal's parents Neeru (left) and Vivek (right) are suing Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center over allegations they created unnecessarily stressful circumstances which led to his death Duggal's suicide note to his parents was included as part of the lawsuit He was aggressively pursued by Texas Tech which offered him a $60,000 scholarship to help him realize his dream, the lawsuit states. Duggal was on a rotation with the OBGYN department when the incident occurred on July 23, 2025, after a woman came in seeking a pap smear and STD check, per the complaint.  The lawsuit claims that the patient appeared to be nervous and shared personal information about herself including that she was a nurse and had a 'jealous boyfriend.' 'The clinical protocol required Vaibhav to ask the patient numerous intimately personal questions, including inquiring about sexual history and whether or not the patient engages in sexual activity with more than one partner,' the lawsuit states. Duggal's parents also questioned why their son, a trainee medic, was allowed to be left alone in the room during such an intimate setting and claimed a judge remarked on the situation during a recent pretrial hearing. 'Where is the chaperone? The nurse practitioner? How can he be alone with a female,' Vivek said. 'We send our kids to all these institutions from kindergarten to university on the understanding they will be protected. Where was the protection for my son?'  The complaint claims that the patient then requested that a nurse practitioner conduct the exam but permitted Duggal to remain in the room.  The lawsuit alleges that the patient 'voluntarily exchanged Instagram handles with Vaibhav inviting him to follow her on Instagram as she was leaving, since as fellow practitioners in medicine they might run into each other again.'  Duggal (pictured with his mom) was accused of asking a female patient intrusive questions about her relationship status and following her on social media. His parents' lawsuit claims the questions were relevant to her sexual health and that their son unfollowed her after realizing it crossed a professional boundary 'Vaibhav in an abundance of caution, blocked her on Instagram approximately one hour after he sent his request,' the complaint adds. 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.'  But four hours after the examination, the patient lodged a complaint with an administrative assistant which sparked the grievance process. 'Within days of the alleged grievance—without any meaningful investigation, without notice of specific charges, and without an opportunity to be heard—Vaibhav Duggal was removed from his clinical rotations and warned that his medical career was in jeopardy,' the lawsuit states. 'All the instructions offered to him screamed that he was guilty and the only course of action open to him was to beg for forgiveness, but not to expect it, not a single instruction offered even the remote possibility that he was not guilty and not at any fault, all the while, he was suspended from participating in the very things he was there for, clinical training.' Following his meeting with Dr Charmaine Martins, Duggal received the 'explosive, devastating e-mail' which exacerbated his already heightened anxiety, according to the lawsuit. Vivek told the Daily Mail his son allegedly tried to access mental health services on campus but was turned away and told to complete paperwork.  Neeru also claimed that there were no campus counseling services available to her son at the time the email was sent outlining his potential disciplinary actions.  Duggal was a gifted student who had been offered a $60,000 scholarship at his chosen school The complaint states Duggal spent the next few hours researching ways to end his life, including looking up the tallest building in El Paso as well as gun stores. The next day he purchased a firearm and died by suicide, the lawsuit claims.  'He put on his white coat just to tell everyone that he had earned it and they cannot take it from me,' Vivek said.  His son's body was discovered after his frantic girlfriend raised the alarm when he failed to show for a scheduled clinic, per the lawsuit.  Vivek added that it was his girlfriend, a nurse, who allegedly encouraged him to block the patient after reminding him of the importance of boundaries in their profession. Duggal's girlfriend told The Free Press she has filed her own lawsuit against the school and accused them of having her involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward after she sought counseling for her grief and criticized the university during a session. However, her lawsuit is one of four filed against the university in the last five years which allege the disciplinary system is overly punitive, The Free Press reports. Two of the complaints have been dismissed, per the outlet. The Daily Mail has reached out to TTUHSC for comment on the lawsuits.  Duggal's parents also cited an open letter that the 2028 graduating class wrote to school officials expressing concern 'that the administration is not simply unsupportive, but at times actively antagonistic,' the lawsuit states. His body was found on July 29, 2025, hours after his concerned girlfriend raised the alarm They are seeking $30 million as well as 'expunction of any and all wrongful accusations and unlawful disciplinary action' against their son. '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 Daily Mail has approached TTUHSC for comment. A spokesperson for TTUHSC told The Free Press it could not comment on a pending legal matter. But a spokesman said: 'We extend our sympathies to those affected by this situation.' 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