A 45-year-old man died by suicide in Uttar Pradesh after being humiliated by his senior officer who allegedly asked him to “send his wife for a night” to approve his request for transfer.
Reports said Gokul Prasad, who works as a lineman with the state power department in Lakhimpur Kheri, poured diesel on his body and set himself on fire. He later succumbed to his burn injuries at a Lucknow hospital.
Before his death, Prasad had given a video statement in which he alleged that Junior Engineer Nagendra Kumar and his aide were demanding his wife in return for the transfer. He said he had filed a complaint with the police, but nothing happened.
Prasad's wife alleged that the junior engineer had been harassing his husband for the last three years.
"He went into depression, started taking medication, but they did not spare him. He was transferred to Aliganj and was facing difficulty in travelling. So he asked for a transfer closer home. They told him, 'get your wife to sleep with us and we will get you transferred'," she said, according to an NDTV report.
She also said though Prasad took the extreme step outside the junior engineer's house, nobody came out to rescue him.
The officer has been suspended and a case registered against him under the abatment to suicide charge.