District judge in Chhattisgarh allegedly dies by suicide

Police suspect the judge died by suicide because all doors of her residence were locked from inside.

Published on: Nov 15, 2020, 21:23:29 IST

Hindustan Times, Raipur | By Ritesh Mishra

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A 55-year-old district judge in Chhattisgarh’s Mungeli who was found dead in her official residence on Sunday is suspected to have died by suicide, police said.

Police said no suicide note was found from the spot and the postmortem report is awaited. (Representative Photo/Getty Images)

No suicide note was found from the spot and the postmortem report is awaited, police said.

Superintendent of Police, Mungeli, Arvind Kujur that the Mungeli District and Sessions Judge, Kanta Martin, who was living alone in her official residence was found hanging from the ceiling fan at her official residence in the district.

“The staff of the judge told police that on Sunday she told them to leave at around 6 pm and there was no one present at her residence when the incident took place,” the SP said adding that the incident took place between 11 pm to 11 am as per preliminary investigation.

Kujur said that on Sunday, when the cook returned, he found the door of her residence locked from inside and there was no response to his knocking. He then informed the judge’s guards.

“I reached the spot after we got the information. We managed to open a window and found that the judge was already dead,” said the SP.

Police preliminary investigation seems to suggest that she died by suicide since all the doors were locked from inside while the guards were present at the gate of the residence.

The staff and some other acquaintances claimed that she was under depression after her husband died last year following which she had been alone, the SP said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ritesh Mishra
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting. His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More

Suicide

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