A 23-year-old Dalit Village Development officer (VDO) in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district killed himself on Thursday, 5 September, alleging repeated humiliation and harassment over his caste.
In a suicide note recovered by the police, Trivendra Kumar, a native of Azamgarh district, wrote he was mentally tortured by village pradhans and Kisan Union Party leaders whom he held responsible for his death.
Addressing the letter to his father, Trivendra wrote that he used to be taunted “for getting selected through reservation.” The note added that he wants his perpetrators to be punished so that no other person has to suffer the same fate.
Trivendra, who had joined the government services earlier in 2019, was found hanging inside his house in Lakhimpur's Shivsagar on Thursday morning. He was set to get married on 28 November.
A video, reportedly from August, also surfaced on social media showing Trivendra being insulted by KUP members during a public meeting. The police said they have taken cognisance of the video and are trying to identify the people who are seen insulting Trivendra.
Based on a complaint from his family, an FIR has been lodged against eight people under Section 306 of Indian Penal Code (Abetment to suicide) and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, PRO of Lakhimpur Kheri's SP, Dinesh Singh told The Quint. He said four people have been arrested so far in the case.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)