Jammu: Three government employees were arrested on Saturday in connection with the suicide of their subordinate earlier this week, a police official said.
According to police, Puran Chand (55), a helper in the Irrigation Department, was found severely burnt in an open field near Ring Road Prithvipur on November 10. He was shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
During investigation, police found that Chand had allegedly taken the extreme step after facing prolonged mental harassment from his seniors, including non-payment of his salary for several months.
CCTV footage traced Chand’s movements on the day of the incident. The video shows him stopping at a fuel station in R S Pura, where he filled petrol into a plastic bottle before heading towards Miran Sahib, where he set himself on fire, the official said.
Police have arrested three Irrigation Department employees — Surjeet Kumar (Incharge Ziladar), Girdhari Lal and Ram Murti alias Sani — in connection with the case.
In a separate incident, police arrested a tractor driver for allegedly running over a couple in the Marh area of Jammu on Friday, killing Vikram Singh and critically injuring his wife Vaishno Devi.
The accused, identified as Ranjeet Singh, a relative of the victims, was taken into custody hours after the incident. Police said the couple was working in their agricultural field when a dispute over land ownership broke out among family members. During the altercation, the accused allegedly drove a tractor into the field and deliberately ran over the couple before fleeing.
An FIR was registered at the Kanachak police station, and the tractor involved in the incident has been seized, the spokesman added.
