Denied job scheme wages, man ‘kills self’

According to the NREGS guidelines, workers engaged by the state Government should be paid on a weekly basis. However, none of the 30-odd workers hired to build a road, undertaken by the BDO’s office at Manatu, had been paid wages for over two months. The police have filed an FIR at Manatu police station. “Although the body was recovered from inside the room, no suicide note was found,” said sub-inspector Nagendra Singh.

Palamau Deputy Commissioner Amitabh Kaushal ordered an inquiry into the case. “After the report is submitted, we will take action,” he said. The probe is being conducted by Deputy Development Commissioner R B Ram.

Alleging that the district administration was trying to hush up the case, CPI(ML) cadres led by Brij Bhushan Yadav put up a blockade on the Manatu-Daltongunj road on Tuesday. The entire official machinery from the BDO and supervisor to Panchayat Sevak are responsible for Saoji’s death. We demand their dismissal immediately,” said Yadav.

Sao’s wife Sunita alleged that he had committed suicide because the workers who were denied wages were blaming him. “At night he went to another room. In the morning, when he did not open the door, we broke it open to find his body hanging from a rope.”

This is the fifth such case connected with the NREGS in Jharkhand.