SIR supervisor dies by suicide a day before wedding in UP; family says he feared dismissal over pending work

A 35-year-old revenue clerk (lekhpal), Sudhir Kumar, allegedly died by suicide at his home in Bindki in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district on Tuesday, just a day before he was to get married.

His family and colleagues have accused senior revenue officials of threatening him with suspension and even dismissal from service for not completing work assigned under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, The Indian Express reported.

Sudhir, who belonged to the Dalit community, had secured the government job in 2024 after years of hardship, including selling eggs on the roadside and working as an MNREGA labourer.

According to his family and the Lekhpal Association, the date for Sudhir’s wedding (November 26) had been fixed months before he was appointed as a supervisor for the SIR task. Sudhir had applied for leave well in advance as well. Although he submitted a request to the tehsildar explaining his unavailability during the wedding preparations, his family claims he was never informed whether the leave was approved.

A meeting was held by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) on Sunday, during which all SIR staff were ordered to attend. Sudhir, occupied with his wedding preparations, could not go. His colleagues allege that the ERO became angry and announced during the meeting that he would recommend Sudhir’s suspension.

In the police complaint, Sudhir’s sister, Amrita, said that her brother had been extremely disturbed since hearing of this threat. She alleged that around 6 am on Tuesday, revenue officer Shivram arrived at their home and pressured Sudhir to complete the pending SIR work immediately. According to her, Shivram threatened that Sudhir would be dismissed from service if he failed to comply.

Sudhir allegedly pleaded that he would finish the assignment after his wedding ceremonies, but the officer allegedly refused to listen. Moments later, while the official was still outside, Sudhir went inside the house and hanged himself. The family, preoccupied with wedding arrangements, realised what had happened about an hour later.

The Lekhpal Association on Wednesday staged a protest and blocked authorities from taking Sudhir’s body for autopsy until an FIR was filed. The Bindki police later registered a case under abetment to suicide charges against Revenue Officer Shivram and unnamed others.

Station House Officer Hemant Kumar Mishra confirmed the FIR, while the body was eventually sent for post-mortem. However, the association claimed that the family initially named the ERO as the main accused, but police and officials allegedly pressured them to change the complaint to mention only the kanungo, according to The Indian Express report.

Additional SP Mahendra Pal Singh denied this allegation, saying the FIR reflects the family’s own statement.

Sudhir was the sole earning member for his mother and sister, his father having passed away years ago. Despite financial hardship, he completed his graduation and prepared for government exams. He was still on probation when he died.

Meanwhile, District secretary of the Lekhpal Association, Ravendra, said they will boycott all SIR-related work starting Thursday if action is not taken against those responsible. State president Bhupendra Singh warned that the protest could expand statewide, alleging that lekhpals are routinely harassed and summoned for late-night meetings despite procedural irregularities in assigning SIR duties.