Punjab: ‘Mentally harassed’ by colleagues, Nangal female teacher commits suicide

Punjab: A teacher working in a primary school in Manakpur village of Nangal area of Ropar district committed suicide accusing two of her colleagues of mental harassment at the workplace. The teacher has left behind a suicide note in which she has accused the two teachers of forcing her to take the step. Manasvi Sharma’s body was recovered from the canal near Ganguwal on Saturday. Manasvi went missing on July 26 at her home leaving behind a suicide note in which she had said that she was committing suicide. According to the police, preliminary investigation has revealed that it is a case of suicide. Nangal police station in-charge Simranjit Singh confirmed that a case has been registered under Section 108 of the Indian Penal Code.

He said that based on the contents of the suicide note, two people have been named in the FIR and the investigation is on. However, the police have not arrested anyone in the case. The education department has also not taken any action in the matter, while the incident took place in the assembly constituency of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. Despite phone calls and WhatsApp messages to Bains, he was not available for comment. Ropar District Education Officer (Primary Education) Shamsher Singh said the department had not received any complaint against the teachers. “We have not received any complaint from the victim’s family or the police. So no action has been taken so far,” he said. BJP state vice-president Subhash Sharma issued a statement here today demanding a high-level inquiry into the incident.