Uttarakhand Farmer Dies By Suicide After Facebook Live; Blames Property Dealers, Police

Haldwani: A farmer from Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand died by suicide at a hotel just after making a live video, levelling allegations primarily against property dealers and Udham Singh Nagar police officers on Saturday late at night.

The incident came to light at a hotel located within the Kathgodam police station area, which falls under the Nainital district. In the video, the farmer also spoke about being under immense mental stress after an alleged land fraud worth approximately Rs 4 crore. Following the release of the video, there was a stir in the police department, forcing the cops to record the statements of the farmer's wife and son.

The deceased has been identified as Sukhwant Singh, 40, who was a resident of Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar. Before dying by suicide, Sukhwant Singh went live on Facebook and released a video in which he made allegations against Udham Singh Nagar police officers.

In the video, Sukhwant alleged that he was harassed after being financially cheated, adding the incident had left him mentally broken.

Sukhwant Singh's father also mentioned that his son became victim of a land fraud amounting to Rs 4 crore rupees in the Kashipur area and had been under mental stress for a long time. According to him, Sukhwant took the extreme step after being cheated by property dealers.

Nainital SSP Manjunath TC said that the suicide note and video evidence have been collected. According to him, Sukhwant Singh was staying with his wife and child at a hotel in Gaulapar, under the Kathgodam police station area. Late Saturday night, his wife suddenly suffered an injury to her head, causing her to scream. Following this, she and her son left the room. As soon as his wife and children went outside, a gunshot was heard from inside the house.

When his wife rushed to the room, they were shocked to notice Sukhwant lying there in a pool of blood. Upon receiving information about the incident, the Kathgodam police arrived at the scene, took custody of the body, and sent it for post-mortem.

The SSP added, "We are investigating the case. The deceased's wife has also provided a suicide note, which contains serious allegations. A video of the deceased before his death has also surfaced on social media, and we are investigating every aspect.”

Dhami orders magisterial inquiry

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the case. Meanwhile, the Congress party has criticized the government over the farmer's suicide in Kashipur. Following the CM's instructions, Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat will conduct an investigation into the incident.

CM Dhami has termed the incident as extremely tragic and serious and will not be taken lightly under any circumstances. CM Dhami also sought detailed information about the incident from chief secretary Anand Vardhan and director general of police Deepam Seth. He also instructed that there should be no laxity in the investigation process. He directed the administration to provide all possible assistance to the victim's family.

Suicide Is Not A Solution: If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you are worried about a friend, or you need emotional support, then there is someone who is always there to listen to you. Call the Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24x7) – or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline, at 9152987821 (available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).