In yet another suicide inside the office of a senior police officer, a furniture trader ended his life in the office of Senior Superintendent of Police of Bareilly, allegedly due to harassment by a retired police inspector and his relatives, on Thursday.
The body was sent for autopsy and investigations are on.
On Wednesday morning, a couple had tried to immolate themselves inside a police station in Mathura. They are now battling for their lives in a Delhi hospital.
Bareilly’s SP (Rural) Sansar Singh said on Thursday that Hari Prasad Meena (60) of BDA Colony in Kargaina, had borrowed Rs 2 lakh on interest from a retired inspector’s relative, Rajiv Saxena, two years back.
Meena had returned Rs 4 lakh to Saxena but the latter and his retired inspector kin Ashok Kumar claimed that he still owed them more money and also forced him to register his house in their names.
The SP (Rural) said that the anguished trader reached the SSP’s office around 2 pm on Wednesday and consumed some toxic substance. Although he did not inform anyone, people nearby smelt a rat when they spotted packets of a poison lying there.
Meanwhile, the SP (Rural) called Meena and assured him of action and sent him to Subhashnagar police station.
However, on his way to the police station, Meena felt discomfort after which the police officials admitted him to a hospital where he died later in the night.
The SP (Rural) said that a suicide note recovered from the trader stated that he was suffering from stress. The trader further wrote that he could commit suicide anytime. He also urged the top police officials to take stern action against the culprits after his death.
Meena’s son Vijay alleged that the retired cop and his kin had been harassing his father for a meagre amount of Rs 15,000-20,000. He also alleged that the duo came to their home two days back and thrashed his father.
Anguished over the incident, Hari Prasad Meena decided to take the extreme step.
A case was registered against retired inspector Ashok Kumar and his kin Rajiv Saxena and section of abetment to suicide was added. Both have been arrested.