In a shocking incident, the body of Simulia BDO Biswaranjan Mohanty was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his government quarters on Thursday.
On being informed, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body. An investigation into the matter was started while the body was sent for post-mortem.
Though the exact reason behind the death is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that Biswaranjan might have committed suicide. His family has accused the Collector of putting him under intense work pressure due to which Biswaranajn might have taken such an extreme step.
However, the incident has sent shockwaves in Simulia of Balasore district. Biswaranjan joined as BDO six months ago.
On the other hand, the wife of the deceased alleged that her husband might have been murdered. “It is not possible to commit suicide inside the government quarters where my husband was found hanging as the room is completely empty and there are no articles to be used for suicide. Party politics was intense in the area and he was always tense. As he was staying alone in the quarters, there was fear that something might happen to him," she said.
The deceased BDO’s father Narendra Mohanty pointed an accusing finger at the Collector. He alleged that his son had not come home since he joined the work because the Collector was not granting him leave.
“My son was under intense work pressure. He joined the work on October 25, 2023, but did not come home. The Collector was putting him under work pressure and was not allowing him leave. Most of the time, he was under stress,” he complained.
However, Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde dismissed the allegation brought against him by the BDO’s father.
He said, ”There was no pressure from my side. The BDO has not applied for leave. Since the BDO was absent during the video conferencing on Thursday, I sent someone to his quarters. The allegation of work pressure will be investigated.”