IAS officer Gagan Behari Swain, who was found dead in the Bhubaneswar railway station after he committed suicide, was upset over his frequent transfers, said Swain’s family members here on Tuesday.
Swain was Additional Secretary of State Planning and Coordination department and also a good writer. He committed suicide by jumping before a train at platform no-3 on Monday afternoon.Though the actual reason is yet to ascertain, the train driver of Howrah-Puri passenger express submitted a memo to the station master and the Government Railway Police (GRP), where he mentioned that it was a clear case of suicide.
Meanwhile, two GRP officials visited the State Secretariat to investigate into the matter. They went to Swain’s chamber at the planning and coordination department’s office.It is yet to be ascertained whether Swain committed suicide or anybody pushed him off the platform and onto the railway tracks.
Swain’s son, whose marriage would be held on June 30, didn’t accept the police version of suicide. He demanded a Crime Branch inquiry into the case. According to his wife, Swain was in tension before the incident happened on Monday. “I also don’t know the actual reason of the tension, but I demand the State Government to direct the investigating officers to go deep into the case to find out the actual reason of the death,” she added.
She said that her husband had attended a meeting with the Chief Secretary on Saturday and after that he was upset. On Monday, he had come home after finishing his work in the Secretariat at 1.45 pm and after the lunch he had gone to the railway station without informing us.
Swain’s private secretary PK Raula said that he normally came to office at 10.30am and finished his work at 1.45 pm before leaving for lunch. He even distributed invitation cards of his son’s marriage.