Junior engineer, technician in power department arrested for ‘abetting suicide’ of lineman

Lakhimpur Kheri police on Friday arrested a junior engineer and a technician of the UP Electricity Department following the death of a 45-year-old lineman, who had set himself on fire last week alleging harassment by the two. Junior engineer Nagendra Kumar and technician Jagatpal were suspended by the department on April 11. They had earlier been booked for abetment for suicide by the police.

“They were produced before a court which sent them to judicial custody,” said Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sanjiv Suman. According to police, Gokul Prasad had set himself on fire outside junior engineer Kumar’s residence at Hydel Colony in Lakhimpur Kheri on April 9. His wife, Rajkumari, had accused Kumar and Jagatpal of harassing her husband and making inappropriate remarks against her, said police. Rajkumari in her complaint alleged that the accused had taken Rs 1 lakh from her husband for transferring him to Pallia sub-station. After getting money, the junior engineer and technician started making inappropriate remarks on his wife.

SHO  (Pallia) Sayyad Mohammad Abbas said the police have taken cognizance of a video purportedly shot by Prasad before his death in which he accused Nagendra Kumar and Jagatpal of harassing him and forcing him to take his own life.  The police have also invoked the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused.