UP lekhpal commits suicide day before wedding protests erupt over work pressure

Kanpur (UP), Nov 26 (PTI) A 28-year-old lekhpal died by suicide in Fatehpur district, a day before his wedding, over alleged work pressure amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, officials said on Wednesday.
    The incident triggered protests by revenue staff who alleged that excessive work pressure and denial of leave drove him to this extreme step, they said.
    Police said the body of Sudhir Kumar, posted in the Khajua block of Bindki tehsil, was found hanging in his room on Tuesday morning.
    However, Additional District Magistrate (Fatehpur) Avneesh Tripathi claimed Sudhir had applied for leave on Sunday and was sanctioned ten days, "although he had sought only three".
    "The kanungo (revenue inspector) had visited the house merely to collect SIR forms," he said.
    An FIR was lodged 29 hours later, following sustained protests by the UP Lekhpal Association, they said, adding that the body has been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation is underway.
    According to the family, Sudhir had to skip duty on Monday for the wedding rituals, including haldi and mehendi.
    Sudhir had recently been assigned supervisory responsibilities for the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the Jahanabad Assembly segment, a task colleague claimed put him under "extraordinary pressure".
    An FIR has been registered against revenue officer Shivram and an unknown person for abetment to suicide, though he has not been arrested yet.
    In her complaint, Sudhir's sister Amrita Singh alleged that the kanungo (revenue inspector) arrived at their home around 6.30 am on Tuesday, purportedly on instructions from senior officials, and "publicly scolded" Sudhir for missing duty while threatening him with suspension and dismissal.
    According to the FIR, Shivram suggested getting election duties completed "through a private person by paying money", which further distressed the lekhpal.
    After the confrontation, Sudhir apparently returned to his room. When he did not respond to repeated calls, the family broke open the door and found him hanging, police said.
    Sudhir's fiancée, Kajal, who rushed to his home after receiving the news, told reporters he had appeared unusually withdrawn over the past few days.
    "He only kept saying the work pressure was too much," she said, adding that Sudhir messaged her a "good morning" on Tuesday, saying he would be too busy to talk.
    Kajal's father, Raghunandan, showed hotel booking slips for the wedding scheduled for Wednesday and alleged that Sudhir, a Dalit employee, faced disproportionate pressure from officials.
    "He kept saying he was scared to take leave," Raghunandan claimed.
    Angered by the death, members of the UP Lekhpal Association staged a sit-in outside the house and prevented officials from sending the body for post-mortem for nearly nine hours, they said.
    They demanded action not just against the revenue inspector but also the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) and senior district officials, police said.
    After prolonged demonstrations and negotiations, an FIR was lodged, though only against Shivram and an unknown person, prompting the association to call it "partial action".
    They demanded invocation of the SC/ST Act, abetment to suicide charges, and a departmental inquiry into the conduct of higher authorities.
    ADM (Fatehpur) Avneesh Tripathi said that a detailed inquiry has been initiated and directions have been issued to probe all allegations mentioned in the FIR.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)