A 40-year-old man died by suicide in a Haldwani hotel after posting a video alleging harassment by police and property dealers. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has now ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
A 40-year-old man, identified as Sukhwant Singh, died by suicide in a hotel room in Haldwani early Sunday morning. Before he took this step, he uploaded a video, levelling serious allegations against several property dealers and police officers.
Details of the Incident
According to Nainital SSP Dr. Manjunath TC, the incident occurred at noon at Hotel Devbhoomi Gaulapar. The hotel manager, Sanju Bisht, alerted the Kathgodam police after hearing gunshots from Room 101. "Between 2.30 and 3.00 am this morning, the staff member stationed at Kathgodam PS received a phone call from Sanju Bisht, the manager of Hotel Devbhoomi Gaulapar, reporting that gunshots had been heard in room 101, and that a man had possibly shot himself", he said.
Upon arrival, Bisht reported that Sukhwant Singh was staying at the hotel with his wife, Pradeep Kaur (40), and their 14-year-old son, Gurbir Singh. According to statements from the family, Kaur was suddenly injured while she and her son were sleeping. She rushed outside with her son, and Singh locked the door from inside. Moments later, gunshots were heard from within the room. "The man's wife and son stated that while they were sleeping, the wife was suddenly injured. They didn't know how it happened. It is suspected that the man committed the act. His wife then screamed and took their son outside, and the man locked the room from the inside. Gunshots were then heard from within the room.", he explained.
Police arrived at the scene, broke down the door, and found Singh lying unconscious and bleeding. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Harassment Allegations Emerge in Video
The SSP stated that information about the three was found after they went through their documents at the hotel. It has come out that Singh alleged harassment and extortion by Udham Singh Nagar police in a Facebook Live video before his death, citing a ₹4 crore land fraud case and pressure from police and property dealers.
Furthermore, Singh had given his wife the documents the previous day, with instructions to hand them over to the authorities. "The deceased had given some documents to his wife the day before, telling her to hand them over to the Police the next day. At that time, she wasn't aware her husband would take such a step", Nainital SSP said.
The victim's wife and son received professional counselling due to the shock, and a state-level forensic team also conducted a site visit.
CM Orders Magisterial Inquiry
Following this, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the suicide of Sukhwant Singh, a farmer from Kashipur. Dhami has directed the Kumaon Commissioner, Deepak Rawat, to conduct a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
The Chief Minister has instructed that a fair and transparent investigation be conducted into all facts and circumstances surrounding the incident to establish the truth. He has made it clear that if negligence or wrongdoing is found at any level, strict action will be taken against those responsible.
Chief Minister Dhami has also sought a detailed report on the entire matter from Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan and Director General of Police Deepam Seth.
Expressing deep condolences to the bereaved family, the Chief Minister said that the state government stands firmly with them in this difficult time and has directed the administration to provide all possible assistance to the affected family. (ANI)
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