Agriculture assistant ends life over workplace harassment

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In two separate incidents, an agriculture assistant and a young man died by suicide in Sillod and Dhorkin within the last 24 hours. In the first incident, Yogesh Sonawane (40), a temporary resident of Shivajinagar, Sillod, was found hanging inside the tehsil agriculture officer's office on Thursday morning between 8.30 am and 9 am.

According to his family, Sonawane was facing constant harassment from his seniors, which allegedly drove him to take this extreme step. Harassment allegations against seniors Following a complaint by his wife, Vimal, the police registered a case against tehsil agriculture officer Dnyaneshwar Barde and agriculture assistant Kishore Uttamrao Borade on Thursday evening.

In her complaint, Vimal Sonawane stated that her husband was frequently called to work on holidays and overburdened with additional tasks by his seniors. He had opened the office early in the morning as per Barde’s instructions, after which he was found hanging inside the cabin on Thursday.

Police shifted Sonawane to the sub-district hospital in Sillod, where he was declared dead. His body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem. He is survived by his father, wife, and daughter. A case has been registered at Sillod Urban Police Station, and under the guidance of inspector Sheshrao Udar, PSI D R Kayade is leading the investigation.

Official response: "I had not harassed him"

Responding to the allegations, Barde denied any involvement in Sonawane’s death, stating, "The employee was very loyal, and there was no dispute with him. I had not harassed him. He was in debt, which might have led to his suicide. I am being dragged into the case without reason."

Second incident: Youth ends life at home In another incident, Waseem Qureshi (25) of Dhorkin was found hanging from the ceiling of his house on Wednesday night. His family members discovered the incident on the night of February 19 and rushed him to Bidkin hospital, where he was declared dead. His last rites were performed on Thursday afternoon. Qureshi is survived by his parents, wife, and extended family. The reason behind his suicide remains unknown, and Paithan MIDC police have registered a case of accidental death. Further investigation is underway.