A government order states that those with a clean record should get a character verification certificate within three days. Initial investigation has revealed that Suresh Pingle, a man in his early 40s who ended his life by setting himself on fire at the entrance of the Pune Police Commissionerate on Wednesday morning, couldn’t get a character verification certificate despite several attempts as police had found multiple criminal cases registered against another man with the same name.
A government order states that those with a clean record should get a character verification certificate within three days. But police found multiple offences lodged against a person with the same name –Suresh Pingle — at Kothrud, Samarth and Sahakarnagar police stations. Due to this mix-up, Pingle couldn’t get a character verification certificate from police. While Samarth and Sahakarnagar police stations gave a report that there was no case against the Suresh Pingle who had sought the character certificate, the report by Kothrud police station was pending.
Pingle, a resident of Khadki, was working for a defence establishment in Pune on contract basis. He was seeking police clearance, also known as character verification certificate, which the establishment had sought from him for his contractual employment.
But despite repeated attempts, he failed to get the certificate. At around 11.30 am on Wednesday, Pingle allegedly set himself on fire at the main gate of the office of Pune Police Commissioner, located at Sadhu Vaswani Chowk. When he tried to go inside the police commissionerate, personnel who were guard duty and those present nearby rushed to help him. They covered him with a cloth sheet to douse the fire, and he was rushed to the Sassoon General Hospital. Pingle was later shifted to Surya Sahyadri hospital, but he succumbed to burn injuries on Thursday.
However, Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta on Friday said Pingle was also worried due to some problems in his family life. Police said two letters were found in Pingle’s bag, which revealed that he was under stress due to domestic problems.
When Pingle had first filed an application for a character verification certificate, he had mentioned an incorrect address on it, so he was asked to apply again, said police officials.
Gupta said a detailed inquiry is being conducted into Pingle’s death.
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