Demow Cong candidate held after bizman’s suicide note names him

Dibrugarh: Ajoy Kumar Gogoi, a Congress candidate who recently contested and lost the Demow assembly seat in Sivasagar district, was arrested by Charaideo police on Wednesday after being named in the suicide note of local businessman Abani Baruah, who died on May 16.Baruah, a resident of Charaideo and owner of a petrol depot, allegedly took his own life after writing a note addressed to his wife, Jaya Baruah, in which he named Gogoi and another individual, Binanda Bora, as being directly responsible for driving him to suicide. According to police, Baruah had borrowed Rs 20 lakh from Gogoi some months ago and was subsequently subjected to relentless harassment and death threats when he failed to repay the amount.Charaideo additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Jyoti Prasad Pegu confirmed the sequence of events leading to the arrest. “Gogoi was detained by Charaideo police with assistance from Sivasagar police at his residence in Sivasagar on Tuesday night. Following prolonged interrogation, he was formally arrested on Wednesday. Gogoi has been charged with abetment of suicide and criminal intimidation,” Pegu said.

Jaya Baruah filed an FIR on May 18, stating that her husband had been constantly harassed and threatened over the outstanding loan. Based on her complaint and the contents of the suicide note, police moved swiftly against the accused.The second accused, Binanda Bora, remains at large. The exact nature of his relationship with the deceased and his role in the alleged intimidation are yet to be established, as he has been absconding since the case came to light.

Police have not disclosed further details about him pending investigation.It is also notable that Baruah’s suicide note mentioned borrowing money from several other individuals, suggesting that financial distress from multiple sources may have contributed to his tragic decision.Gogoi, 53, is a former head of the department of political science at Moran Mahila Vidyalaya and contested the Demow assembly constituency for the first time on a Congress ticket in the recently concluded Assam Assembly elections. He lost to sitting BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain, who polled 89,681 votes against Gogoi’s 56,153 — a margin of 33,528 votes.Police have confirmed that investigations are ongoing and further arrests are expected as the case unfolds.