In a tragic incident that has sent shockwaves through Assam’s engineering and administrative circles, a young female engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD) was found dead by suicide at her rented residence in Barpara, Bongaigaon.
The deceased, identified as Joshita Das, was a junior engineer with PWD – Housing and had been posted in the district for nearly a year. Police confirmed that a suicide note was recovered from the scene, in which Das accused senior officials of subjecting her to severe mental harassment and coercion.
Based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by her family, authorities have arrested former Executive Engineer Dinesh Sharma Medhi and former Sub-Divisional Officer Aminul Islam.
According to contents of the note, Das had been under relentless pressure to clear a contractor’s bill related to the construction of a stadium at Borsojgaon under the Gossaigaon Assembly constituency. The project was being executed by M/s Achetic Creations.
Das alleged that the project lacked essential architectural drawings and documentation, yet she was repeatedly instructed to approve payments. The suicide note also claims that the contractor, Rudra Pathak, failed to appoint a site engineer, leaving Das solely responsible for field execution.
She further accused architect Debajit Sarma of submitting an incomplete and flawed cost estimate. Despite raising concerns and requesting assistance multiple times, her appeals were allegedly ignored. Although Medhi and Islam were recently transferred from Bongaigaon, Das wrote that they continued to exert pressure from their new postings.
Authorities have launched a detailed investigation. “We have taken the allegations in the note seriously. Two officials have been arrested, and further inquiry is ongoing,” said a senior police officer on Wednesday.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among PWD staff and civil society, with many calling for stricter mechanisms to prevent workplace harassment in public sector departments.
Joshita Das’s body was sent for post-mortem, and her final rites were conducted in her hometown on Tuesday.
