In a bizarre turn of events, a Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer Sushil Attri was found dead, hanging inside his newly hired flat in Ansal Grace Apartments in Sainik Colony area on May 14.
Sushil, a 2004 batch officer, was an alumnus of Government College of Engineering and Technology (1996 Mechanical Engineering) Jammu. Presently, he was posted as deputy director with the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Earlier, he had served as deputy director tourism Jammu, twice.
Soon after the incident, police took cognizance of the case and started investigation. But prima facie investigation suggests the death was a suicide. Reportedly, a girl had visited Sushil in his apartment the same day where she found him dead.
Reportedly, Sushil had extra-marital affair with the girl and had earlier called her to his flat, which she had declined. However, upon his reported threat of committing suicide in case she did not come, the girl visited the flat. As she reached, she came out crying probably after seeing Sushil Attri hanging. By the time the neighbors assembled, she managed to flee from the spot.
This made the investigation into the mysterious death of Sushil more complicated; the girl had identified herself as Jyoti Attri, wife of Sushil Attri in the register at the Guard Room.
Different media outlets quoting the security guard who was on duty that time, said that the visiting girl hid her identity while the guard on duty described the girl as slim and tall. She had covered her head and face with duppata. She returned within three to four minutes, screaming and shouting ‘he is dead’.
No suicide note or any other document was found from his room. However, Sushil had recently posted a message on his social media page which indicated his life was not going all well; the post read as, “Life is a roller coaster ride n I have experienced it enough to handle it.”
Reportedly, Sushil had taken this flat on rent without the knowledge of his family members.
Sushil got married in 2004, and is now survived by his parents, wife, two children and an elder brother.
Acting on the fast track basis, under the orders of Deputy Commissioner Jammu, a Board of Doctors (BoD) was constituted at GMC Hospital Jammu to conduct postmortem. Meanwhile, SSP Jammu Tejinder Singh has constituted a six -member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case.
Singh, while talking to different media outlets, said that they reached the spot and immediately summoned forensic teams and established contact with the wife and other family members of the deceased. The police also recorded statements of several persons and made inventory of his belongings. Police carried out thorough search of the apartment and lifted forensic samples. The officers carefully studied the scene, where the body of the KAS officer was found hanging in one of the rooms. A bed sheet was used for hanging with the ceiling fan. The body was shifted to the GMC for post-mortem.
Police has also seized CCTV footage and efforts are on to identify the girl, who is also reportedly an officer in the J&K Government.
– Umar Mukhtar
