Former Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, 75, who was found dead at his Noida house on Sunday, died by suicide, police said on Tuesday.
Diksha Singh, assistant commissioner of police, Central Noida, said Mehta died by suicide on Sunday. A note in which the 1975 batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer attributed the extreme step to prolonged illness.
Mehta lived alone in a rented accommodation in Kendriya Vihar 2 Society in Noida's Sector 82. His wife, also a retired IAS officer, lives in Dehradun, their hometown, with their son and daughter.
Police said it was his wife who asked the complex’s security officer to check on her husband on Sunday when she couldn’t get through to him on phone. Their last conversation was late on Saturday. Police said they did not suspect anything unusual in the conversation.
Police said they received a call at 1:30pm that the retired officer was found dead at home.
"A suicide note was retrieved from the spot, in which he mentioned that he was taking an extreme step due to prolonged illness and that no one is responsible," a police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}"A suicide note was retrieved from the spot, in which he mentioned that he was taking an extreme step due to prolonged illness and that no one is responsible," a police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the body was handed over to his family after legal procedures, and further investigation was underway.
Mehta served in several key positions in the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and helped steer some of the Capital’s major civic, transport and power-sector reforms. He took over as chief secretary in 2007, headed the administration during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and retired in November 2010. His cremation was held at Lodhi Crematorium on Monday.
Colleagues and politicians who worked with Mehta remembered him as an efficient administrator who was receptive to new ideas and willing to push through reforms, from changes in property tax assessment and power privatisation to preparing a plan for phasing out Blueline buses and introducing low-floor buses.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.
Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secundrabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000; ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290