Ranchi: A 49-year-old lieutenant colonel posted at the Dipatoli cantonment of the Army in Ranchi since 2019 was found dead in the parking area of the Khelgaon housing complex in Ranchi on Tuesday. He hailed from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district.
Police said the officer identified as Diwarkar Singh and his family have been residing at the Khelgaon housing complex for the last year. His family members maintained that Singh had been under work pressure for the last few months. Singh had served in Siliguri, West Bengal, before his Ranchi posting.
A defence ministry spokesperson from Delhi told TOI over the phone that an internal investigation regarding the incident has been initiated but refrained from commenting on the family’s allegations that the deceased was under work pressure.
Singh’s body was discovered by morning joggers in the housing complex after which police were alerted. According to police, a preliminary investigation suggested that the officer died after falling from a building in the complex.
Talking to TOI, Khelgaon police station in-charge Chandra Shekhar Singh said, “The body was first discovered at the parking lot of the complex by residents at about 6.30 am and they contacted us. It is not yet confirmed whether the Army officer died by suicide or it is a case of murder. The post-mortem examination of the body has already been done and we can comment on the cause of death only after receiving the report. However, we are investigating the matter from every possible angle.”
Family members of the deceased said he might have slipped from the terrace of the building as he went up there on Tuesday midnight when other members of the family were asleep. Singh was living in the complex along with his wife, daughter. His father-in-law was in Ranchi on the day of the incident.
Talking to TOI, Singh’s 22-year-old son, Divyansh Singh, pursuing an MBA in Delhi, said, “He went to the terrace at midnight after everyone in the house was asleep. He used to spend time on the terrace and use his phone. He might have slipped and fallen to the ground, leading to his death.”
Divyansh, who rushed to Ranchi on Tuesday afternoon, said the last time he talked to his father was on Monday evening, “He sounded fine, and asked me about my studies and how I am holding up in Delhi. However, he was a bit disturbed for the last few months regarding some official work. As per my knowledge, he applied for a voluntary retirement from his job recently.”
Meanwhile, Manish Kumar, brother of the deceased who came here from Bihar, told reporters outside the Rims post-mortem building that Singh was under “political pressure” for carrying out anti-encroachment drives on Army land in many areas of Ranchi. Manish, however, did not provide further details or evidence of his claims.
Answering a query, Manish said his brother was under depression and was taking medication. He further said Singh took study leave between 2022 and 2024 to pursue mass communication at Ranchi University. Singh was also under an Army inquiry for beating up a subordinate in a fit of rage but he was cleared of any charges.