In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the tragic suicide of junior engineer Joshita Das, a third individual, Devajit Sharma, was taken into custody on Friday around 4:50 PM. Sharma served as the consultant for the Barshanagar Mini Stadium project in Bongaigaon and was reportedly named in the suicide note left by the deceased.
This arrest follows the earlier detentions of Dinesh Sharma Medhi, a Superintendent Engineer, and Aminul Islam, a Sub-Divisional Officer, both taken into custody on July 23. All three individuals face allegations of abetment to suicide.
Background:
The case came to light when Joshita Das, a young Public Works Department (PWD) engineer, was found dead by suicide at her rented residence in Barpara, Bongaigaon. In the suicide note, Das detailed severe mental harassment and alleged repeated coercion by senior officials to approve fraudulent bills related to the construction of a mini stadium at Borsojgaon, under the Gossaigaon Assembly constituency.
The stadium project was executed by M/s Achetic Creations, and Das claimed that it lacked essential architectural documentation and site supervision. She wrote that she was pressured to clear bills despite these irregularities and was left solely responsible for on-site execution, as no site engineer had been appointed by the contractor, Rudra Pathak.
The note also pointed to consultant Devajit Sharma, accusing him of submitting incomplete and flawed cost estimates, and ignoring her repeated concerns. Das alleged that even after their transfer, officials Medhi and Islam continued to exert pressure from their new postings, contributing to her deteriorating mental health.
