[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 4 Nov: Former Itanagar Capital Region deputy commissioner Talo Potom has been granted bail in connection with the death of Gomchu Yekar, who died by suicide at his rented apartment in Lekhi village, Nirjuli, on 23 October.
Potom, an IAS officer was granted bail by the district and sessions court, Yupia. He was asked to furnish bail bond of Rs 1 lakh.
Potom, who had surrendered to the police, had been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody on 27 October. Yekar’s family had blamed Potom and Rural Works Department executive engineer Likwang Lowang for his death. Earlier, Yekar’s father had lodged an FIR at the Nirjuli police station. Based on the FIR, the police registered a case against both Potom and late Lowang under Sections 108, 271, 272, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which include provisions related to abetment of suicide.
According to the FIR, Yekar was allegedly coerced into participating in illegal activities, repeatedly humiliated, and later abandoned. Handwritten notes found at the scene allegedly mentioned harassment and coercion by the two senior officials -Lowang and Potom. On the same day, Lowang also died by suicide at his residence in Khonsa.
In the notes, Yekar alleged that he had been sexually exploited and harassed over an extended period, and claimed that prolonged humiliation, coercion, and threats had driven him to take his own life.
The notes further described alleged intimate relationships, manipulation, financial promises, and subsequent threats. One note stated that he had contracted HIV and accused one of the officials of abandoning and blackmailing him.
The case is currently being investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Arunachal Pradesh Police.
