Patna: A senior official committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan in his home in Bihar early on Sunday, the second such incident in three months, setting alarm bells ringing over the growing level of depression in officials in the state.
The incident took place in Buxur district, where a young Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official had committed suicide in August by throwing himself under the wheels of a running train.
The victim, Mohammad Taukir Akram, was serving as an officer on special duty to the local district magistrate and was also acting as the district land acquisition officer.
Family members told police that soon after returning from Patna on Saturday night, he locked himself in his rented room and committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling fan. Before ending his life, the victim also wrote a brief note.
“No one is to be held responsible. My own wish to meet death,” the victim said in his three-line hand-written note. The note also mentioned the time: 4.30am. The victim’s family members came to know about the incident only after they broke the door in the morning.
The exact reason behind his suicide is not yet known but the family members said he was depressed due to his workload as he was in charge of many departments. He had been getting half his salary for the past eight months as punishment.
“We are shocked at his death. We were told he was getting half salary for the past several months but it is a matter of inquiry if this was the reason,” the local district magistrate Arvind Kumar Verma told the media the site.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar ordered an inquiry into the suicide. Soon after getting the information, the chief minister talked to the chief secretary as well as home secretary and ordered a detailed probe into the incident. The chief minister also expressed heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav hit out at the government over the incident and blamed the government for his death.
