A councillor of the Aam Aadmi Party has been booked for alleged abetment of suicide after the death of an MCD sanitation worker in Delhi. His wife alleged that the money from a loan – around Rs 15 lakh – meant to buy a house was retained by the councillor. Deepak, 45, worked as an MCD sanitation worker in Blocks 1 and 2 of Trilokpuri and lived with his family in Kalyanpuri. He died by suicide earlier this month.
The case against councillor Vijay Kumar was registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on September 14, show police records.
Vijay Kumar has denied the allegations against him. He has said that he did not arrange for any loan for the sanitation worker and claimed that he was being falsely implicated.
The Complaints
In her complaint, Deepak’s wife Sangeeta alleged that her husband wanted to buy a house and that a loan of around Rs 15 lakh was arranged through the Councillor. The money, though. was not handed over to her husband and was retained by Vijay Kumar, she alleged..
The allegations are being investigated by police.
Sangeeta has also alleged that Deepak had not received his salary for around 10 months. According to her complaint, Deepak raised questions about both the loan amount and his salary and was allegedly put under pressure.
The complaint alleges that Rs 25,000 was demanded for every Rs 1 lakh and that Deepak was threatened with a transfer if he continued to raise the issue.
His family has also alleged that his identity documents, cheque book, bank passbook and property papers were in the possession of the councillor.
A day before his death, Deepak was extremely distressed.His wife claimed that he had told her that if anything happened to him, Vijay Kumar would be responsible.
BJP Raises Loan, Salary Allegations
Delhi BJP chief Harsh Malhotra raised the matter at a press conference on Thursday and sought action against the AAP councillor.
Malhotra said Deepak had sought the councillor’s help because he wanted a house for his family. He alleged that Deepak had been asking for months to either “arrange the house or return his money”.
Malhotra also referred to the allegation of a demand for Rs 25,000 for every Rs 1 lakh, describing it as a “25 per cent commission”.
The BJP leader further alleged that cheques signed by Deepak were in the councillor’s possession and that money linked to his salary had been withdrawn using them. Bank records are expected to be examined as part of the investigation.
The Investigation
The police are investigating the circumstances leading to Deepak’s death and the financial angle. The First Information Report was registered on September 14.
The police are expected to examine loan documents, bank transactions and salary records, along with the allegations concerning Deepak’s cheque book and other documents. Investigators are also likely to examine communications between Deepak and the accused before his death.
