A 22-year-old resort employee allegedly died by suicide after being accused of theft and subjected to mental and physical harassment by the staff at his workplace, officials said on Thursday.
Following a complaint by the deceased’s brother, Fursungi Police Station has registered a case against the Director and Head of Department (HOD) of Prana Resorts & Banquets in Ravet.
The deceased has been identified as Atul Laxman Ahire (22), a resident of Shindada village in Pachora taluka of Jalgaon district. He had been working at the resort for the past six months and was given a place to stay on the premises by the management.
His brother, Swapnil Laxman Ahire (29), a resident of Shiv Pratishthan Colony in Haveli, lodged the complaint.
The incident occurred near the railway tracks close to Bhosale village on Saswad Road in Fursungi on the night of February 23, before 11 pm.
According to police, Atul allegedly jumped in front of a train after writing a suicide note on his mobile phone.
As per the information received, Atul had been informing his brother that the resort’s director was harassing him and delaying his salary payments. He had submitted his resignation, but it was allegedly not accepted by the management. This reportedly left him under severe mental stress.
On February 21, Swapnil visited his brother at his room, where Atul reiterated his intention to quit the job due to ongoing harassment.
Amid their meeting, he received a call from his manager asking him to report to work. Although Atul was not willing to go to work, the manager allegedly forced him to report for duty.
Fearing consequences, he left for work. When Swapnil later visited the resort to speak with the HR department regarding the alleged harassment, he was reportedly denied entry by the staff.
On February 22, Atul informed his brother over the phone that he would come to Fursungi to discuss the matter. However, the next day, his calls went unanswered. Later that night, police personnel answered his phone and informed the family about the incident.
During the examination of his mobile phone, police found a suicide note in which Atul claimed he had been falsely accused of theft at his workplace. He stated that he had not committed any theft but was beaten and forced to sign a letter confessing to stealing Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 from room tariff collections. He also alleged that he was summoned to the head office, abused in filthy language, and physically assaulted by senior officials, including the property director and HOD.
In the note, Atul reportedly wrote that he could not bear the humiliation and defamation caused by the accusations and harassment, and because of this, he was ending his life.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against the resort’s Property Director, identified as Tarun Sachwani, and the HOD for allegedly abetting suicide and subjecting the victim to mental and physical harassment.
Amol More, Senior Police Inspector of Fursungi Police Station, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, "The case has been registered. Investigation is underway. The suicide note was posted on Instagram, and police are verifying and conducting a technical analysis of the post. Further action will be taken accordingly."
