A 45-year-old Deputy Controller-cum-Accounts Officer with the Shimla Municipal Corporation allegedly died by suicide at his residence, the police said on Saturday. A suicide note recovered from the room mentioned poor service conditions as the reason for his extreme step and did not blame any specific individual, the police said.

Rameshwar Sharma, who was transferred to the Municipal Corporation around seven months ago, was found dead at his residence at Pine View Building in Mehli around 1 pm on Friday by his wife. He was immediately taken to IGMC Shimla, where doctors declared him dead.

According to preliminary information, Sharma had gone to his office and returned home earlier than usual.

Sources said that Sharma had visited his office, submitted a leave application to attend a marriage function, returned home, and allegedly died by suicide.

Sharma was earlier posted in the State Health Department in Shimla.

ASP (Shimla) Abhishek told The Indian Express, “We have registered an FIR under Section 108 of the BNS, 2023. The body was handed over to the family members after a post-mortem examination at IGMC Shimla on Saturday.”

The victim, a native of Rohru in Shimla district, is survived by wife, a 16-year-old son, and an elderly mother.

Sources said, “At around 12.30 pm on Friday, Sharma had replied to one of his colleagues over a message after being asked about the condition of the municipal wards assigned to him for routine rounds.”

‘Stunned by the death’

Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri described the deceased as an upright officer. “We are all stunned by the death of Rameshwar Sharma. He was an honest man and, by nature, a reserved person. As the Accounts Officer, he was the head of the Accounts Department in the Municipal Corporation. Along with Mayor Surinder Chauhan and other officers, I met the family members at IGMC and assured them of our full cooperation in the investigation,” Attri told The Indian Express.

“I was informed that the victim had mentioned poor service conditions in his office in the suicide note. I also asked the police to examine his office in the MC building to ascertain if there was anything related to his death. Rameshwar Sharma had communicated with one of his colleagues via messages before his death. He had come to the office yesterday and left after submitting his leave application. We are all shocked by his death,” he added.