The death of a government school teacher in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district has prompted a police investigation and renewed questions over the workload linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, after colleagues alleged that he had expressed distress over official duties shortly before the incident.
The deceased, identified as Gurpreet Singh, was posted at a government school in Bhaini Mian Khan and hailed from Salopur village. According to police, he was reported missing after his car was found abandoned near the Bhattian bridge on the Sabrao branch canal in Kahnuwan on Monday morning. A search operation involving police personnel and divers was launched, following which his body was recovered from the canal.
Investigators said the teacher had reportedly travelled to the spot in his own vehicle and left it parked near the canal with his personal belongings inside. Police are examining the sequence of events leading up to his death and are recording statements from people who were in contact with him before the incident.
The probe took a new turn after one of Gurpreet Singh’s colleagues claimed he had received a phone call from the teacher shortly before the incident. According to fellow teacher Gurpartap Singh, Gurpreet appeared emotionally distressed during the conversation and allegedly spoke about the pressure of responsibilities assigned to him under the SIR campaign, which has been underway across Punjab since June 25.
Gurpartap Singh said the teacher informed him that he was standing near the canal after parking his vehicle nearby. During the conversation, he allegedly said he was struggling to manage the workload connected with the SIR assignment and felt unable to cope with the mounting pressure. The colleague claimed Gurpreet indicated that he was contemplating taking an extreme step before the call ended.
Salopur village sarpanch Kaushal Singh also confirmed that Gurpreet had shared his concerns with a colleague before the incident. However, police officials said the exact circumstances surrounding the death are yet to be established and that no conclusion has been drawn regarding the reasons that may have led to the incident.
A farmer working in fields near the canal told investigators that he had seen a man park a car and walk towards the canal earlier in the day. He said nothing appeared unusual at the time, and only later did villagers learn about the incident after residents alerted the authorities.
Police said all aspects of the case, including the contents of the final phone conversation, the nature of the official assignment, and other personal or professional factors, are being examined as part of the investigation. Officials said the inquiry is still at a preliminary stage and that the cause of the teacher’s death will be determined only after the investigation is completed.
The incident has nevertheless renewed concerns among some employees over the workload linked to election-related assignments. However, authorities have not officially linked the teacher’s death to the SIR exercise, and police said the investigation will proceed on the basis of the evidence collected during the probe.