Farmer shoots self in hotel room after being duped in land deal, accuses police of corruption

CM directs impartial & transparent probe, commissioner orders magisterial probe

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haldwani

A farmer hailing from Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar committed suicide in a hotel room in Haldwani in the wee hours of Sunday. Before taking the extreme step, Sukhwant Singh went on Facebook and accused several persons of duping him of more than Rs three crore in a land deal, also alleging that the district police had not taken action on his complaint in the matter. Taking serious cognisance of the incident, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed that an impartial investigation should be ensured and strict action should be taken if negligence or guilt is ascertained at any level. The Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat has also ordered a magisterial inquiry in the case.

Singh was in the hotel along with his wife and child when the incident occurred. The Kathgodam police were informed past Saturday midnight and broke open the door of the hotel room to take the injured Singh to the hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors. According to sources, Singh was staying at a hotel in the Gaulapar area along with his wife Pradeep Kaur and their 14-year-old son. He is reported to have shot himself in the hotel room at about 2:30 AM. His wife and son were also reported to have sustained some injuries and were taken to the hospital. Nainital senior superintendent of police Manjunath TC reached the hospital to enquire about their condition. Before committing suicide, Singh went live on Facebook and accused about two dozen persons of defrauding him. He also accused the Udham Singh Nagar district police of not taking any action on his complaint. Singh also alleged in the video that the police were indulging in corruption and pressurising him. Singh’s family members said that he was under considerable stress after being defrauded by some property dealers of crores of rupees, as he had stated in his Facebook video. The SSP said that the police have initiated the investigation based on the video and other clues, adding that further action will be taken after the family members lodge a complaint.

Meanwhile, the CM expressed grief at the incident and directed officials to ensure an impartial and transparent probe in the incident. Dhami talked to the chief secretary Anand Bardhan and director general of police Deepam Seth to seek information about the case. He also directed the administration to provide all possible assistance to the victim’s family while also taking all necessary steps to ensure justice in the case.