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Pune dental college HoD found dead at home; suicide note cites work stress
The deceased, around 45, reportedly cited work-related stress in a suicide note recovered from the scene
A senior faculty member and head of department (HoD) at a Pune dental college was found dead by suicide at his residence on Friday, police said on Saturday.
The deceased, around 45, reportedly cited work-related stress in a suicide note recovered from the scene. The incident came to light around noon when his wife returned home and found him hanging from a ceiling fan with a dupatta. She alerted neighbours and police, who conducted a preliminary investigation and recorded the panchnama.
The suicide note allegedly stated that work-related stress led to his death and that his wife was not responsible.
Vinay Patankar, SPI at Sinhagad Road police station, said, “As per the suicide note, he died due to work-related stress. No other reason has been mentioned.”
Patankar added that the deceased is survived by his wife and two school-going sons. The sudden death has left family members and colleagues in shock.
Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and begun recording statements of family members and others connected to the case to understand the circumstances that led to the incident.
There had recently been issues related to staff salaries at the institute where he worked. When asked whether the salary issue could have been a reason behind the suicide, police said their preliminary inquiry suggested that the matter pertained to lower-rung staff.
“Our preliminary investigation shows that the salary issue was related to lower-rank staff. He was serving as the HoD, and no such issue has come to light so far,” Patankar said.
Police also said that the deceased’s wife works as a professor at the same institute.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further investigation is underway to verify the contents of the note and gather additional details related to the incident.
