Three suicides in Chandigarh in 24 hours; two leave behind e-messages

Lal Chand had shot and sent a five-minute video message to his wife, relatives and colleagues at around 10.45 am. Police said the victim’s wife had gone out of their house along with two of their children to meet relatives at around 10.30 am on Saturday. After returning home around noon, she found her husband hanging from a ceiling fan. She immediately raised the alarm and informed her neighbours, who informed the police.

A police team later rushed the victim to the government’s multispeciality hospital in sector 16, where he was declared brought dead. Sources said that in his video message, Chand had claimed that he was being harassed for the last five years. He also spoke of an unnecessary penalty of around Rs 3.05 lakh that had been imposed on him. He blamed the caretaker and the controller for assigning him hard duties even though he is an accident victim and had an iron rod placed in one of his legs.

SP (city) Mridul said, “We have obtained the video message of Lal Chand blaming two of his seniors at Punjab Raj Bhavan from his wife. The message is being verified and the statements of the victim’s wife and other relatives are being recorded. We will take legal action according to the evidence. The video message of the victim is equal to the evidence. The victim is from Himachal Pradesh. His brothers will reach Chandigarh on Sunday.”

One of the neighbours of the victim requesting anonymity said, “Lal Chand had been working at the Punjab Raj Bhavan for the past 19 years. He was allotted the government quarter a few years ago.”

Police have started an inquest under Section 174 of CrPC at Sector 26 police station. Senior police officers including SHO PS 26, ASP Aishwaryan Singh, DSP Palak Goel, a forensic team and others visited the victim’s house.

In the video, Chand is purportedly heard saying that “hum governor sahib sai to kaya millaye, vo too hume secretary sai milnai nahi detta (to allow us to meet the governor is a distant dream, we were not allowed to meet even the secretary)”

In the second case, a 43-year-old peon at Punjab and Haryana High Court died by suicide at his house in Sector 24 on Saturday.  He blamed certain people for his death in a text message that he left to his family.

The victim was identified as Mehar Singh, a native of Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. He was currently working for a retired justice of the high court.

Sources said that in the message to a family member, the victim named certain people claiming that he had taken money from them and returned it back as well. A police officer said, “Mehar Singh’s family member called his neighbours who found the door locked from the inside. Police broke the door and found the victim hanging with a rope. Doctors at GMSH-16 declared him dead. The victim left behind his wife and children, who reside in Himachal.” An inquest was initiated.

Vegetable vendor dies by suicide in Sector 37

A 30-year-old vegetable vendor, Vikas, of Sector 56 was found dead hanging by a tree near Sector 37 Saturday. Police said the victim was identified following the documents recovered from his clothes. Police ruled out any
foul play and domestic fuel combustions.