The Assam Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Thursday (July 31, 2025), approved the transfer of a case of “suspected suicide” of an Assistant Engineer in the State’s Public Works Department (PWD) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Joshita Das, 29, was found dead in her apartment in western Assam’s Bongaigaon town on July 22. She wrote in a purported note that she was under “extreme stress” and lacked guidance in the workplace, while her parents alleged she was being pressured to clear inflated bills.
“A seven-member Special Investigation Team was formed to investigate the case. The site was videographed and examined by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory and a crime scene officer... Three accused were arrested, and a notice under Section 94 of the BNSS [Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita] was issued. The case warrants a thorough investigation due to public concern and possible interstate links,” a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting read.
Among the arrested are the Sub-Divisional Officer and the PWD Executive Engineer, who were named in the note the deceased Assistant Engineer left behind. The district police said a First Information Report was registered against them for abetment of suicide based on a complaint by her family.
