A 40-year-old man ended his life after his house was demolished by government officials in Outer North Delhi’s Bawana on Thursday afternoon, the police said.
DCP (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma said the man is survived by his wife and two children.
Had taken loan
“Preliminary enquiry revealed that he had recently constructed the house for which he had taken a loan. During demolition, he consumed a poisonous substance. He told his wife about it when he was rushed to a hospital. He died during treatment,” Mr. Sharma said.
His nephew said the deceased was a private LIC agent and also did pest control work. “Around 12 p.m., officials came and started taking out his belongings from inside the house. He pleaded to the officials but they manhandled him,” said the nephew added.
A government official said the land, on which the house was built, was acquired for construction of highway and the proceedings were on since 2012.
“The residents had approached the High Court and the Supreme Court regarding the matter. In January, the courts demarcated the land for demolition. Initially, there were 70 houses and then it was finally brought down to 26, which were demolished today [Thursday]. The residents were informed on June 19 to vacate their houses when they had asked for a few more days, which they were given,” the official said, adding that the family is authorised to get compensation. His family claimed that he had written to Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), demanding “action against actual culprit”.
His family said he had sold his property in his hometown in Bihar’s Samastipur after which he had bought this land and constructed the house.
Suicide prevention helpline: Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health, Telephone: 011-4076 9002, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. -7.30 p.m.