Ex-air hostess suicide case: Haryana minister Gopal Kanda quits

Gopal Kanda, an independent MLA from Sirsa constituency and Minister of State for Home Affairs has resigned from his post after a case was registered against him on Sunday in connection with suicide of Geetika Sharma.

Zeenews Bureau

Haryana/New Delhi: Gopal Kanda, an Independent MLA from Sirsa constituency and Minister of State for Home Affairs has resigned from all his posts after a case was registered against him on Sunday in connection with suicide of a young woman.

Geetika Sharma, a 23-year-old former woman employee of now defunct MDLR airline allegedly committed suicide at her residence on Saturday night.

"I have tendered my resignation and requested Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to accept it. I have resigned to ensure an impartial probe," Kanda said to the reporters.

Police had registered a case against Gopal Kanda, who was the owner of the airline, on charges of abetting the crime.

Geetika, who quit Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda`s company recently, allegedly committed suicide at her Ashok Vihar residence in north-west Delhi residence last night, apparently depressed over continuing mental harassment allegedly by the minister, police said.

Meanwhile Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said he will find out details of this case even as opposition INLD stepped up pressure demanding the minister`s immediate arrest and dismissal of the State Government.

Earlier in the day, P Karunakaran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) had said "Police had received a call today (Sunday) morning about the alleged suicide. We have registered a case of abetment to suicide against Kanda and Aruna Chaddha, a manager with Kanda`s firm."

In her suicide note, Geetika had claimed that Kanda was torturing her mentally after she left her job in his company and was pressurising her to join his firm again.

"She has written about the Haryana Minister in the suicide note. It was written that they have broken her trust. They have cheated her. Due to these things, she was committing suicide," the DCP said.

After the MDLR airline became non-operational where Geetika was working as an air-hostess, she was made director in one of the subsidiary companies owned by Kanda. She quit the job recently.

"When the airline`s operation was suspended, Kanda offered her another job. She refused that offer and joined Emirates in Dubai. He then wrote a letter to Emirates making allegations against her character which lead to her termination," Gaurav Sharma, Geetika`s brother, alleged.

"Kanda had told her that she has to work in his company only and that she could not work anywhere else. He used to spy on her and follow her. He used to call her and say that she cannot work anywhere else other than his company," Gaurav alleged.

Gaurav claimed that his sister, in her suicide note, wrote that her colleague Archana Chaddha and Kanda had breached her trust.

"I have believed these people, but they are not trustworthy. She has said that whatever has happened with her, it shouldn`t happen with anyone else. To save herself from these circumstances, she took this step," Gaurav quoted from the note.

A senior police official said they were investigating the matter and will question the minister soon.

With PTI inputs

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