Fatal slip or Suicide? mystery behind RPF constable's death

Fatal slip or suicide? Mystery over RPF constable’s death Cops say Bhagwan Panda fell from Byculla rly hospital; his colleagues believe he jumped Jyoti Shelar Posted On Saturday, October 01, 2011 at 02:07:17 AM An RPF constable, Bhagwan Panda, fell from the second floor of Byculla railway hospital on Wednesday, and died a day later during treatment. Though the police believe this a straightforward case of accidental death — a man slipped and fell — some of his colleagues suspect that he attempted suicide. They claim an allegation of theft levelled against him had pushed him into depression, and this may be the reason behind the step. Panda, who lived in Kurla, was blamed for a theft of goods worth Rs 1 lakh from the Panvel railway station on July 2. A chargesheet was also filed against him. For the past few months, the 41-year-old was under a lot of work-related stress and appeared to be suffering from chronic depression. On Wedne-sday morning, he was admitted to the railway hospital. “He was kept under observation as he had inflicted injuries on himself,” a nurse said. On Wednesday night, he went into a bathroom on the second floor of the hospital, and moments later he was found in a pool of blood on the ground floor. Panda was rushed to KEM Hospital, where he died on Thursday night. Another staff member at the railway hospital said it appeared that he slipped from the bathroom window. “The bathroom door was locked from inside,” he said. Doctors at KEM said that Panda’s pelvic region was severely injured in the fall. “He had serious injuries on parts of the body, too,” a doctor said. Panda’s son, Anand, said that he learned about the incident from his uncle. “I spoke to my father on Wednesday night, and went out for a walk. When I returned, my uncle told me that he had fallen from the bathroom window,” he said. Panda’s colleagues said he went into depression after he was handed the chargesheet over the theft. “He started behaving oddly after facing scrutiny from seniors,” a colleague said. The RPF constable was sent to Solapur for training on September 1. He, however, ran away from the training centre in just a few days, an RPF official said. “He was traced to Barsi recently,” the official said. • Panda became depressed after he was accused of stealing goods from Panvel railway station