Andhra govt official releases suicide video before killing himself

A self-shot suicide video, showcasing the grievances of a government official in Andhra Pradesh, has been going viral on social media. The video shows a senior Assistant Officer at Guntur’s Ponnuru Government Hospital alleging bribery and caste-based harassment by his senior officials.

The man, who has been identified as Ravi Kumar, attempted to kill himself by consuming pesticide on Monday. He was admitted to hospital but, eventually, died on Wednesday.

The video was uploaded to his Facebook account moments before he attempted the suicide. Ravi Kumar accused some of his fellow colleagues of denying him promotion despite being the senior most official of the lot. He also accused the officials of sideling him on the basis of his caste. Ravi mentioned that he had filed numerous RTIs in the hope of fighting it out but the fact that he was from a certain caste, he felt, overshadowed all his efforts.

The video revealed other shocking facts including that of the bribe Ravi was charged. The victim alleged that the officials had asked him to pay Rs 1,00,000 for promoting him. Although he managed to sum up and pay Rs 70,000 (his life savings) to the officials, he accused the officials of denying him the promotion.

Several Dalit groups staged a protest outside the hospital where Ravi breathed his last and refused to take the body until stern action was taken against the accused officials.

The News Minute quoted District Medical Health Officer, Dr. Padmaja Rani, saying, “Apparently he was dissatisfied with his deputation in Ponnuru and wanted to stay with his family.”

The police are investigating the case and further insights are yet to be revealed.