34-year-old Army personnel, accused of abetting the suicide of his wife last month, allegedly hanged himself at Tihar Jail on Wednesday morning.
Lance Naik Vinod Kumar took the extreme step exactly a month after his wife Meena Sharma had committed suicide at their residence in Delhi cantonment last month.
Police and jail officials are treating one of Vinod’s latest entries in his personal diary as the suicide note. The entry, addressed to his dead wife, reads: “I am coming to you, we will meet soon” .
Vinod was a resident of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to jail officials, the incident came to light when Kumar could not be seen anywhere after the morning prayers.
“During breakfast time, the inmates came out of their barracks. Kumar was then reported to be missing. A thorough search was started in no time and he was found hanging in the toilet of Mulhaiza ward, where the inmates undergo counselling. An enquiry has been ordered into the matter,” said Mukesh Prasad, Additional Inspector General, Delhi Prisons.
An enquiry revealed that Vinod had repeatedly shared that he was innocent and that his wife’s allegations against him had left him depressed. The two had a love marriage but it soon fell apart. Following his wife’s suicide, Vinod was sent to Tihar on February 18. Jail officials said Kumar did not show any signs of depression, mental harassment or suicidal tendencies during his stay. “The body has been sent for post-mortem and the matter is being investigated. We are also checking the CCTV footage of the jail to verify the sequence of the incident,” said a senior police officer.
An enquiry revealed Vinod had repeatedly shared that he was innocent and his wife’s allegations against him had left him depressed
