Etawah (UP), Apr 20 (PTI): A 33-year-old engineer allegedly committed suicide in a hotel room near Etawah railway station after accusing his wife and in-laws of harassment.

Before taking the extreme step, he sent a video message to his family, stating, "If only there was a law for men too. If I don't get justice, immerse my ashes in a drain."

The deceased, Mohit Yadav, hailed from Nagla Prasadpur village in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh.

According to his brother Taran Pratap, Mohit was employed at a private company in Noida, where he met a woman named Priya. After a long live-in relationship, the couple married on November 27, 2023, with the consent of both the families and without any dowry. After marriage, Mohit and his wife lived separately from their families.

According to Taran, Mohit often complained that his in-laws pressured him to transfer ownership of his house and land in his wife's name.

He also alleged that his wife frequently quarrelled with him over the property.

Mohit had informed his brother that Priya’s father Anuj Kumar had lodged a false police complaint against him, and her brother had threatened to kill him if he did not comply with their property demands. Also, Mohit's mother-in-law allegedly forced Priya to abort a three-month-old pregnancy.

On Thursday, Mohit left home saying he would stop at Etawah for a couple of days, police said. He checked into a hotel near the railway station at around 12.05 am and booked a room for two nights.

The hotel manager told police that Mohit did not leave his room or order any food throughout Friday. Concerned, hotel staff knocked on the door on Friday evening but received no response. When calls to Mohit’s phone went unanswered, they alerted the police.

Civil Lines Station House Officer Vikram Singh Chauhan said police who broke open the door found Mohit hanging from the ceiling fan using a bedsheet.

A laptop and mobile phone was recovered from the room but no suicide note was found.

Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police (City) Abhay Nath Tripathi and Circle Officer (City) Ramgopal Sharma, reached the spot and launched an investigation.

They collected forensic evidence from the room and contacted Mohit's family using the last dialled number on his phone.

Taran Pratap said the family received a video from Mohit before his death, in which he accused his wife and in-laws of mentally harassing him over property issues and threatening him with death.

He expressed regret over not being able to make his father proud and requested that his ashes be discarded in a drain if justice was not served.

SHO Singh stated that Mohit’s body was handed over to his family after post-mortem on Saturday evening.

He said a detailed probe is on in the matter.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.

Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.

After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.

A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.

Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.

“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).

He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.

“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.

When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”

Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.

“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.

He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.

“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.

The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.

“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.

Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”

Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.

Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.

“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.