Lucknow: A senior IAS officer heading the
Housing department allegedly committed suicide at his official
residence here by shooting himself from his licenced revolver
early this morning but police did not suspect any foul play.
Opposition parties--Samajwadi and BJP-- demanded a CBI
probe into the incident. Jain was a 1978 batch IAS officer.
Principal Secretary (Housing) Harminder Raj Singh
committed suicide at around 1.15 AM this morning at his 6,
Vikramaditya Marg bungalow with his licensed revolver by
shooting himself on the right side of his head, Additional
Director General, Law and Order A K Jain told reporters.
Jain said Singh`s wife Ashima Singh informed the police
control room about the incident immediately at 1.22 AM after
which the officer was rushed to the Trauma centre where he
died.
Asked about the motive of the murder, Jain said that
according to the doctors attending on Singh he was suffering
from high blood pressure, which could be the possible reason
behind taking such an extreme step.
About the possibility of foul play, Jain said that as per
the prima facie investigations it was not suspected. The exact
motive of the suicide was yet to be ascertained, he said.
"We will talk to family members of the officer as soon
as they return from Delhi, where his body was taken for
performing the last rites", Jain said in reply to a question.
Asked whether call details of the officer was checked to
ascertain with whom he had talked before suicide, Jain said
that a probe in this regard was underway.
Jain said that at the time of incident his wife was in
another room and she rushed to Harminder`s room soon after she
heard the gun shot.
"We have taken the Webley revolver and the five live
cartridges left in our custody", Jain said.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party alleged that there was a
lot of pressure on bureaucrats in Mayawati regime to collect
money for the party.
"We demand a CBI probe into the incident so that real
face, who was exerting pressure on the IAS officer could be
exposed", SP state president Akhilesh Yadav told reporters.
He said that last year PWD executive engineer M K Gupta
was allegedly murdered by BSP MLA after he refused to pay a
hefty amount for Mayawati`s birthday celebrations.
The BJP also backed the SP demand.
"We demand a CBI probe so that the real face pressuring
the officer should be exposed", BJP State Vice President
Hriday Narain Dixit told reporters.
Alleging that officers were under pressure in Mayawati
regime to collect money, Dixit said only a CBI probe could
unravel the truth.
PTI
