Uttarakhand BJP leader held for suicide by 32-year-old man

The Uttarakhand Police on Thursday arrested a BJP leader in connection with the suicide of a 32-year-old man who shot himself dead on Thursday morning.

The deceased, Jitendra Singh, held the arrested BJP leader Himanshu Chamoli responsible for his death in a video recorded by him before committing suicide. The Pauri Police arrested the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state secretary after the video made by the deceased went viral.

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Jitendra Singh Negi, a resident of Kothari Mohalla in Doiwala, 25 kilometers away from Dehradun, accused Chamoli of defrauding him of more than Rs 50 lakh on the pretext of opening a media office but failed to return the amount. He charged him with forcing him to commit suicide.

“It’s a fraud of nearly 57 lakh I paid to him in the name of opening a media office. I was asked to pay the salaries of the employees but he did not return the money when I asked for it. Now, I am forced to the edge. Chamoli’s actions has driven me to the point that I have to die by suicide. Responsibility for my suicide will lie only on Himanshu Chamoli,” said Jitendra Singh Negi in the over three-minute video.

In his accusations, the deceased further stated that the BJP leader also took money from him in the name of the chief minister’s OSD (Officer on Special Duty).

Speaking on the incident, Lokesh Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pauri, confirmed that Himanshu Chamoli was arrested and a case was being registered against him.”

“Based on the video that went viral on social media the accused was arrested and is being interrogated. Additionally, the inquest proceedings have begun. The police were informed of the incident around 9 am following which a team of regular and revenue police was sent to the spot at the suicide place. The exact time of death and other circumstances will be known only after the post-mortem report is received. Reasons for the suicide are not clear from the initial investigation,” he said.

Singh said the police was investigating why the deceased took this step and what circumstances were responsible for his action.

According to the police, Negi died by suicide at his ancestral home in Talsari village of district Pauri. Apart from regular police and revenue department teams investigating the matter, forensic experts have also begun the probe.