Jyotisha, a 30-year-old assistant engineer at the Public Works Department (PwD) in Assam, was found dead in her rented apartment on Tuesday afternoon. The suicide victim left behind a suicide note in which she said her colleagues pressured her to approve “fraudulent bills.” She implicated two senior officials in her suicide note.
What did Jyotisha mention in her suicide note?
Reports by NDTV suggest that in her handwritten suicide note, the engineer had categorically stated that she had been under severe mental stress due to constant pressure from two senior officials who allegedly coerced her to approve bills for incomplete work.
“I am taking this step due to extreme stress from my work. There is no one to guide me in the office. I am tired and have nowhere to go. My parents are worried for me,” the suicide note reads.
What action was taken by the state?
Following the discovery of her body, the woman’s family lodged a formal police complaint and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the individuals named in her note.
Based on the suicide note, police have arrested Dinesh Medhi Sharma, a recently promoted Superintendent Engineer who earlier served as Executive Engineer in Bongaigaon, and Aminul Islam, a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) currently posted in Bongaigaon, for abetment of suicide.
Confirming the arrests, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the press on Wednesday, “We are yet to thoroughly investigate the accusations made by the junior engineer. For now, both the SDO and the Executive Engineer have been arrested.”
“We are investigating all aspects. The building concerned, on which the alleged bills were made, will be probed. We will reassess the work costing,” police officials told the press when asked about the matter.