Voting right denial, land loss fear drive man to suicide

A man from Haldwani in Uttarakhand allegedly committed suicide after his village was not included in the municipal area, and he was not given voting right in panchayat elections.

Haldwani additional superintendent of police Amit Srivastav said Kishen Kumar, a taxi driver from Jeetpur Negi, committed suicide on Wednesday night, and “the matter is under investigation.”

A transporter from Haldwani had committed suicide by consuming poison during the janata darbar of agriculture minister Subodh Uniyal in Dehradun on January 8, citing financial woes triggered by demonetisation and goods and services tax (GST).

Kishen Kumar, who consumed poison, was not given voting right in panchayat elections as he had been living on a land belonging to the forest department, police said. His village was also not included in the Haldwani municipality area in a fresh delimitation of wards.

There had been rumours that the plot, on which Kishen built his small house, would be acquired for building an inter-state bus terminus in Haldwani. Police said Kishen had told the villagers that he would kill his family if they were not given voting rights and their land was acquired for building of ISBT.

Haldwani block pramukh Bhola Bhatt, who belongs to the Congress, said, “People like Kishen should be given voting rights in panchayat elections as the people of Bindukhatta, who are living on forestland, already have such rights.”

Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was told about the suicide when he visited Haldwani on Thursday to take part in a Women’s Day programme, but he did not comment on the matter.