Bhupinder Hooda assures action in MDLR ex-staffer's death

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said that appropriate action would be taken in the case of a 23-year-old former flight attendant committing suicide in the capital and blaming Haryana Minister of State for Home Gopal Kanda for taking the extreme step. "We will take appropriate action," Hooda told reporters.

Hooda, who was in Kolkata for a meeting, said he would look into the matter. "Ask me on investment, but anything else I will not answer here. I have come to Kolkata, I don't know what has happened, let me go back and find out."  Union Women and Child Welfare Minister Krishna Tirath said that the National Commission for Women (NCW) will investigate the matter. "I will talk to the state government. We will send this case to NCW for investigation. NCW will investigate this matter. I will write a letter to Haryana Chief Minister also." A former employee of the MDLR Airlines on Saturday committed suicide after reportedly being harassed by her former boss and Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda to join back. In her suicide note, Geetika Sharma, who first worked as an air-hostess with the airline and was later made the director of its subsidiary, Supersonic, blamed the Haryana MoS for Home. The police have recovered the suicide note and a case has been registered against Kanda for abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. Sources say that the suicide note mentions that Gopal Kanda and a manager of company Aruna Chadha told her not to leave the company. The victim's family alleged physical and mental harassment of their daughter at the hands of the minister. According to the victim's brother, Gaurav Sharma, the Haryana Minister along with his colleague Aruna Chadha were mentally harassing his sister. The victim's brother said that the minister constantly pressured her to join back, even going to extent of making visits to their family. According to DCP Northwest P Karunakaran, Geetika was working with the company for the past one and half months. However, she suddenly stopped going to office. "The management also called her up but she never went there," the DCP added. According to the family, Geetika quit the company to join another job, which too she left to pursue a degree in MBA. The victim's brother further said, "When the airline's operation was suspended, Kanda offered her another job. She refused that offer and joined Emirates in Dubai. He then wrote a letter to Emirates making allegations against her character which lead to her termination." "Kanda had told her that she has to work in his company only and that she could not work anywhere else. He used to spy on her and follow her. He used to call her and say that she cannot work anywhere else other than his company," he added. Kanda could not be contacted for his comments. Geetika reportedly hanged herself from the ceiling fan on Saturday night. A PCR call was made at 9:20 am on Sunday.