Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.

According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.

Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.

"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.

Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.

Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.

Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.

Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.

The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

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Mangaluru: The Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT), Mangaluru, organised a “Zero Plastic Drive” on April 27 at the Bearys Knowledge Campus as part of Earth Week 2026 (April 22–29).

The programme was conducted in association with BIT-ADVA (Students Association of AI & DS) and the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), with the objective of promoting environmental sustainability and reducing plastic usage on campus.

The event commenced with an awareness and motivational session on zero plastic by Dr. Mehaboob Mujawar, who highlighted the harmful effects of single-use plastics and stressed the need for adopting sustainable practices.

The drive was coordinated by Dr. Mehaboob Mujawar and Meghana Nayak, ensuring the smooth execution of activities. The programme witnessed active participation from students of the 4th and 6th semester of AI and Data Science, along with faculty members.

As part of the initiative, students collected plastic waste from classrooms, canteens, hostels, and surrounding areas of the campus. The collected waste was segregated for proper disposal and recycling. Cloth bags were also distributed to encourage the use of eco-friendly alternatives.

An awareness rally was conducted to educate students on the hazards of plastic pollution and the importance of responsible waste management.

The drive resulted in the collection and segregation of a significant amount of plastic waste and created awareness among students about sustainable practices. The initiative also encouraged the adoption of eco-friendly habits, contributing to a cleaner and greener campus environment.