Uttarakhand Orders Magisterial Probe After Farmer’s Suicide Over Alleged Land Fraud

Overview

• The farmer, Sukhwant Singh, 40, from Kashipur’s Paiga village, fatally shot himself in a Kathgodam hotel while traveling with his wife and 14-year-old son.
• In a final social-media video, he alleged a Rs 4 crore land fraud—saying he paid Rs 3 crore in cash and Rs 1 crore by bank for a plot different from what was shown—and named property dealers and senior police.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat to lead a magisterial inquiry and sought detailed reports from Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan and DGP Deepam Seth.
• Police said they recovered a suicide note, recorded statements from the wife and son, conducted the post-mortem, and are examining the video and other evidence with a state-level forensic team.
• The IG of Kumaon Range, Riddim Agarwal, was tasked with a separate police inquiry, with officials stating strict action will follow if negligence or wrongdoing is established.