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Former Himachal MLA Mast Ram dies by suicide in Mandi hotel
Mast Ram, a former MLA from Karsog in Himachal Pradesh, died by suicide in a hotel in Mandi’s Sundernagar; in his suicide note he stated “personal reasons” for taking the extreme step
Former Karsog legislator Mast Ram was found hanging in the room of a hotel in Sundernagar, Mandi, on Monday afternoon.
The 75-year-old left a suicide note, stating “personal reasons” for taking the extreme step. Mast Ram, who wanted to contest elections for the Vidhan Sabha, was actively running a political campaign in Karsog.
The politician had checked into a hotel near the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) reservoir in Sundernagar on June 10 (Sunday).
An employee of the hotel, on condition of anonymity, said, “Mast Ram ordered tea in the morning and said he would check out at noon. Later, a waiter, who went to ask whether he would take lunch found him hanging from the ceiling fan.”
“We have informed the victim’s family members and sent the body for postmortem examination. A probe is on, “ said Mandi superintendent of police Shalini Agnihotri.
Mast Ram had joined politics after quitting his teaching job in 1982. He fought almost every assembly election either on a Congress ticket or independently. He ran as a Congress candidate and became an MLA in 1993 and 2003. His second wife, Nirmala, is an active functionary in Congress and has also been a member of the Zila Parishad. Their son, is pursuing an MBBS degree, while his son from his first wife, Ghanshyam Paharia, is a famous folk singer.
This is the second time in two years that a politician has ended his life in Mandi. In March 2021, Ram Swaroop Sharma, the then MP of Mandi, had died by suicide in Delhi.
A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
