'Forced To Clear Inflated Bills': Woman Engineer Dies By Suicide In Assam's Bongaigaon, Names 2 Harassers In Note

Jyotisha Das, a 30-year-old assistant engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD) in Assam, died by suicide over alleged harassment from senior officials at her rented accommodation in Bongaigaon on Tuesday afternoon.

The victim left behind a suicide note alleging pressure by senior officials to clear inflated bills. She named two harassers, blaming them for abetment of suicide.

Narrating the agony she had been facing, the victim in her suicide note clearly said that she had been under severe mental stress due to constant pressure from two senior officials who allegedly forced her to approve bills for incomplete work.

"I am taking this step due to extreme stress from my work. There is no one to guide me in the office. I am tired and have nowhere to go. My parents are worried for me," read the victim's suicide note.

The victim's father told The Indian Express that she told him one day that she would be jailed, while her seniors would just be transferred as punishment. According to the victim's father, the victim's superiors were asking her to clear a bill of Rs 2 crore for work done worth Rs 1 crore.

The woman's family lodged a formal police complaint and filed a First Information Report (FIR). According to police, based on the suicide note, Dinesh Medhi Sharma, Superintendent Engineer, and Aminul Islam, a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), have been arrested for abetment of suicide.

The police said that the allegations made in the suicide note regarding corruption will be investigated.