delhi

Updated: Apr 19, 2020 09:30 IST

The Delhi police have registered a case of extortion and abetment of suicide against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Prakash Jarwal and another person after a 52-year-old man was found hanging from the terrace of his house in south Delhi’s Durga Vihar.

Deputy commissioner police (south) Atul Thakur confirmed that a case was registered Saturday against the legislator based on allegations levelled by the dead man’s son, but did not elaborate on the case details.

Police said the deceased was a practising doctor who also supplied water tankers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). On Saturday morning, he was found dead on the terrace of his house. He had hung himself, police said.

An investigating official, who did not wish to be named, said the complainant has blamed the Deoli legislator and another person (allegedly his aide) for his father’s death. “During preliminary investigation, the doctor’s family said the deceased, who was also into the business of supplying water with DJB since 2007, had been upset for the past few months as he was suffering monetary loss. The family said these losses were because MLA Prakash Jarwal had demanded money from the deceased and when the man failed to pay the sum on time, Jarwal allegedly got his payments towards supplying water stalled. The family said the man this forced him to take the extreme step,” said the officer.

None of the officers authorised to speak to the media came on record to detail the reason for the man’s suicide or why an FIR was filed against the legislator.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Jarwal said he was innocent, and had not met the man for eight or 10 months.

“I have proved myself innocent in the past and I will do so now too,” Jarwal said.

Repeated calls and text messages to DJB vice-chairperson Raghav Chadha went unanswered.

Police said they received a call on Saturday at 6.15am stating that a man has hanged himself in Deoli. A police team reached the spot and found the doctor, who ran a clinic, had hanged himself using a rope. “His wife said he woke up around 5.30am and went to the terrace. The death came to light around 6am when a neighbor spotted the man hanging and alerted his family,” said a senior police officer who did not wish to be named.

The officer said that as per the doctor’s son, one of Jarwal’s close aides, Kapil Nagar, had visited the deceased on Friday, hours after which he allegedly killed himself. “We have also recovered some documents and a note, allegedly written by the doctor himself in which he has detailed the reasons for taking the extreme step. The letter, however, is under verification,” the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur said, a case under IPC sections 386 (extortion), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 506 (criminal intimidation) along with other sections was registered against Prakash Jarwal and Kapil Nagar, among others at Neb Sarai police station.

A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are +914066202000 from ‘Roshni’ (Hyderabad-based) and +914424640050 from Sneha India Foundation (Delhi-based).