Cop team sent to Jamshedpur for investigations

A joint team of the Mumbai crime branch and the Thane rural police left for Jamshedpur on Sunday to investigate allegations that Charudutta Deshpande, former head of corporate affairs and communications at Tata Steel, committed suicide at his Vasai home on June 28 after harassment from company officials.

A joint team of the Mumbai crime branch and the Thane rural police left for Jamshedpur on Sunday to investigate allegations that Charudutta Deshpande, former head of corporate affairs and communications at Tata Steel, committed suicide at his Vasai home on June 28 after harassment from company officials.

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His family, meanwhile, welcomed the move, saying he would often express regret about joining the company.

Responding to apprehensions that the former journalist’s suicide on June 28 could be the result of harassment by company officials, home minister RR Patil had announced a crime branch probe into the incident.

After a representation by Deshpande’s former colleagues seeking a probe, Patil asked joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy to form a special team to conduct a parallel investigation into the case.

Roy said, “A crime branch team that is conducting a parallel probe into the case left for Jamshedpur [where Deshpande was allegedly kept under house arrest] on Sunday along with personnel from the Thane rural police.”

Mahesh Bhatkal, Deshpande’s brother-in-law said the family was happy that allegations of harassment were being probed “with seriousness” as Deshpande would not have ended his life had he not been subjected to torture.

“Charu had told me at least ten times in the month preceding his death that he regretted joining Tata Steel,” said Bhatkal.