A 28-year-old electricity department employee allegedly died by suicide while on night duty at a power substation in Muzaffarnagar’s Titawi area, with police stating that a note recovered from the site pointed to harassment linked to his appointment under the Scheduled Caste (SC) quota.
Note sent on WhatsApp before death
The deceased, identified as Shubham, a resident of Narsipur village, was posted as a sub-station operator at the Mukundpur power substation. According to police, he sent a message to the department’s official WhatsApp group around 12.30 am, shortly before his death.
A junior engineer was alerted around 1 am, following which police and electricity department officials rushed to the spot. A key was found lying outside a room at the substation. When the door was opened, Shubham was found dead inside, with his mobile phone and a country-made pistol nearby.
Allegations of sustained harassment
Circle Officer (Phugana) Yatendra Nagar confirmed that a suicide note was recovered. In the note, Shubham alleged that he was being blackmailed and mentally harassed over securing his job through the SC quota.
The note reportedly named an individual from Bhaisna village in Budhana who had allegedly filed a complaint against him. Shubham also expressed suspicion that others were involved in pressuring him.
Family background
According to Sumit Kumar, the village head of Narsipur, Shubham’s father supports the family through dairy farming. Shubham was the eldest son and the primary earning member of the household.
Investigation underway
Police said a post-mortem examination was conducted and the body was handed over to the family. “All aspects related to the allegations mentioned in the note are being examined,” officials said, adding that further investigation is ongoing.
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