Colonel's suicide: Army sets up probe panel

Times News Network
Agra: A day after TOI reported about the alleged suicide of a lieutenant colonel, who injected himself with a toxic substance after attempting to strangle his junior, a lieutenant, with whom he was having an affair, Army has called ‘court of inquiry’ into the matter.
On anonymity, multiple sources from the Army confirmed, that considering the nature of case, an inquiry, presided by a Colonel rank officer, has been set up and it will submit the report once the inquiry is done.
“Till the inquiry is conducted, no action will be initiated against anyone. Allegation like illicit affair levied by and upon Army officers has irked the top guns,” said source. Meanwhile, speaking to TOI, additional superintendent of police, Mathura city, Ashok Kumar Singh, said, “Nothing can be shared in public until the investigation is on. The viscera of the deceased has been sent to Agra forensic lab. Once the report is received, we can ascertain the actual cause of his death.”
As per police source, the viscera report will come after three to four days.
On Friday evening, Lt Col T Jadhav (40), who had been posted at the Mathura military hospital as anaesthetist for the past two years, had gone for a “long drive” on Friday, along Baldeo road near the Yamunapar area, with the lieutenant, a nursing assistant at the hospital, when the incident occurred.
According to police officials, Jadhav, who is from Maharashtra and married, was in a relationship with the junior officer, who is from Dehradun. “He had been depressed ever since the lieutenant had informed him that she was calling off the relationship because her wedding had been fixed,” said an official.
The FIR filed by the lieutenant on Friday night said that Jadhav asked her to go for a drive with him because he wanted to discuss something with her.
“After reaching Sri Radha Radha colony, he asked her to join him in a suicide pact. When she tried to reason with him, he attempted to strangle her,” said Singh, talking to TOI.
“The woman officer said she resisted the attempt and managed to free herself after a hard struggle, and jumped out. He then locked himself in the car and injected what appears to be a poisonous substance into his thigh,” Singh said.