Woman sarpanch attempts suicide over no-confidence motion in Odisha

A lady sarpanch attempted suicide by consuming pesticide after a no-confidence motion was brought against her at Talpali gram panchayat under Gaisilet block of Odisha’s Bargarh district. She was immediately rushed to Padampur sub-divisional hospital where her condition is stable now.

The lady sarpanch has been identified as Urmila Seth.

According to sources, the ward members and panchayat committee had alleged Seth and her husband of being involved in corruption. They had accused the couple of creating ruckus at the panchayat office and submitted a written complaint to the sub-collector Sneha Aragula.

Based on the complaint, sub-collector Sneha Aragula held a meeting where a no-confidence motion was passed against Urmila. A day after, Urmila consumed pesticide and had to be hospitalised, sources said.

“Everything was going well for the first six months. However, later her husband would turn up in a drunken state and threaten us. He started to misbehave with us,” alleged Naib Sarpanch Sanjeev Sahu.

On the other hand, the sarpanch’s son alleged that the ward members and others had hatched a ploy against his mother.

“Even the former sarpanch had supported and chosen my mother for the position but now he has also turned his back on us. The incident has left my parents in shock,” he alleged.