Varanasi: Maniyar Nagar Panchayat chairman Bhim Gupta, a prime accused in the July 7 suicide of PCS and executive officer of Maniyar Nagar Panchayat (MNP) Manimanjari Rai, surrendered before the court of judicial magistrate in Ballia district on Wednesday.
Inspector Kotwali (Ballia) Vipin Singh said, “After surrender, Gupta has been sent to district jail in 14-day judicial remand. Earlier, on Tuesday another accused of this case, Akhilesh Kumar, who worked as the computer operator in the MNP office, had been arrested.”
“Rai’s driver Chandan was arrested earlier in July itself while clerk Vinod had got anticipatory bail from court. Now, only one accused and former executive officer Sanjay Rao is absconding,” he added.
Body of Manmanjari was found hanging with the ceiling of her room in Awas Vikas Colony, where she lived on rent, on July 7. It was the first posting of the 30-year-old PCS officer in Ballia, where she had been given charge of EO of MNP.
In this connection, Manimanjari’s brother Vijayanand Rai of Ghazipur had lodged an FIR for abetment of suicide against Bhim Gupta, tax clerk Vinod Singh, computer operator Akhilesh, former EO Sanjay Rao, her driver Chandan and some unidentified persons with Kotwali police.
In his complaint, Rai alleged that MNP chairman Bhim Gupta, some contractors and office employees in his nexus were pressurising her to adopt unfair means for allotting contracts of development projects and also for payments. Following this, Manimanjari had met the district magistrate and requested to attach her with the district headquarters.
However, when she resumed the charge after a gap of three months, she became aware that many payments had been issued with the help of her fake signatures.