'Oft-transferred' official ends life

A 48-year-old revenue inspector of BBMP committed suicide at his house in Srinagar on Monday evening.

Srinivas took the extreme step over depression due to frequent transfers, his family members and colleagues charged.

According to police, Srinivas hanged himself at around 5.30 pm on Monday using his wife's saree when nobody was in the house. The incident came to light when his wife Geetha, who had gone out, returned home. There was no death note. Hanumanthanagar police have taken up a case of unnatural death and are investigating based on a complaint lodged by members  of the family that he was subjected to harassment at work due to frequent transfers.

More than 300 employees of the Revenue Department of the BBMP gathered in front of KIMS Hospital on Tuesday and staged a protest where Srinivas' body was brought for postmortem.

“Srinivas was a revenue inspector initially at the JP Nagar office and then he was transferred to KG Nagar ward number 142. When Srinivas was about to report for duty there, the transfer order was cancelled allegedly at the behest of the local Sunkenehalli corporator D N Ramesh and he was subsequently transferred to Rajarajeshwari Nagar,” Amruthraj, director, BBMP Officers and Employees’ Association, said.

“Though Srinivas’s transfer to KG Nagar was recommended by the local Congress MLA , the BJP corporator, Ramesh, managed to get his favourite old revenue inspector Somashekara retained in his ward. In less than a month, Srinivas was transferred three times," Amruthraj added.

However, speaking to DH, Ramesh termed the allegations baseless. “Rivals are using this incident as a political conspiracy against me to tarnish my image. Srinivas was trapped twice by Lokayukta and was subsequently suspended from service. He was earlier known to me and he should not have taken this extreme step at least thinking of his family members," he said.