Guwahati, 23 July (HS): The suicide of a young junior engineer in Assam’s Bongaigaon has stirred massive public anger, leading to the arrest of two senior Public Works Department (PWD) officials. The deceased, Joshita Das, had been serving in the Housing division of the PWD for almost a year.

It may be mentioned that Joshita was found hanging in her rented residence at Barpara on Monday. A suicide note recovered from the spot contained serious allegations of workplace harassment. In her final message, she named former Executive Engineer Dinesh Sharma Medhi and former SDO Aminul Islam as the main perpetrators of prolonged mental harassment.

As per the note, both officers allegedly exerted continuous pressure on her to approve a disputed contractor bill. The bill was linked to the construction of a stadium at Borsojgaon under the Gossaigaon LAC, implemented in association with M/s Achetic Creations. Joshita pointed out that the project lacked key architectural documents and drawings.

The suicide note further revealed that the contractor, Rudra Pathak, failed to appoint a site engineer, leaving Joshita alone to handle critical technical decisions. Despite multiple pleas for help, she reportedly received no assistance.

Architect Debajit Sarma was also named in the note for submitting an erroneous and incomplete estimate. Joshita claimed her concerns were ignored and she was compelled to proceed with the work under immense pressure.

Although Medhi and Islam had been transferred to other divisions—Nalbari NH and the Chief Engineer's office respectively—they allegedly kept pressuring her even after their postings changed.

Joshita’s mother lodged an FIR at Bongaigaon Police Station, holding both officials responsible for mentally tormenting her daughter. “She was suffering under immense work stress and felt completely isolated,” said her mother in a statement to the media.

Police have arrested both Medhi and Islam, citing the suicide note and initial investigation findings as key grounds for action. The note is now a critical piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation.

This incident has spotlighted the troubling culture of coercion and mental stress prevalent in certain government departments. It has also reignited discussions about the urgent need for institutional mental health support, especially for young professionals in public service.

Joshita’s body has been sent for post-mortem. A full-scale probe is underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash