CBI registers case in PWD engineer’s ‘suicide’

Guwahati: The CBI has registered a case into the alleged suicide of Joshita Das, an assistant engineer with the state public works department in Assam. Das, who was posted at the PWD’s Bongaigaon subdivision, was found dead in her residence on July 22.The CBI registered the case following a request from the Assam govt in August under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section dealing in abetment of suicide and criminal acts committed by multiple individuals in furtherance of a common intention.The state govt had initially constituted a seven-member SIT to investigate the matter before it was handed over to the central agency.Joshita’s family has alleged in the FIR that she was mentally harassed and criminally intimidated by colleagues and contractors involved in a mini-stadium project in Bongaigaon.According to the FIR now re-registered by the CBI, Joshita was allegedly “forced, coerced, criminally intimidated and threatened” to prepare and approve estimates and bills in violation of departmental norms. The FIR named three individuals as accused — two PWD officials and a contractorThe state home department, in its letter to the Centre seeking CBI probe, stated that the case pertains to the suspected suicide of Joshita “allegedly due to criminal intimidation by her seniors, colleagues and contractors. There has been widespread and strong public resentment regarding the suspected suicide case. In view of the sensitive nature of the case, it is felt that a neutral agency may be engaged in conducting the investigation.

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