UP Man Ends Life As Forest Department Was Set To Demolish His House

Etah (UP): A 35-year-old daily wage laborer has taken his own life in Sakatpur village as the forest department prepared to demolish his home, officials reported on Monday.

Hari Singh was discovered hanging from a tree in Sakatpur village within Malawan police station jurisdiction late Sunday night, according to local authorities.

Villagers stated that Singh had been residing with his family in a two-room house they had constructed approximately 25 years ago.

The forest department recently acquired the land and was allegedly planning to demolish the residence, according to villagers, who claimed Singh took the extreme measure due to fears of eviction.

Etah Sadar BJP MLA Vipin Kumar Verma visited the location along with Circle Officer (Sakit) Kritika Singh to meet with the grieving family members.

The MLA asserted that he had previously requested the forest department to relocate the family before taking any enforcement action, and officials had given him assurances they would do so.

"Despite these assurances, the department continued pressuring the family to vacate their home, which drove Hari Singh into depression," Verma alleged.

Placing direct responsibility for the death on the forest department and administration, Verma stated, "If the poor man's situation had been addressed promptly, this tragedy could have been prevented." He committed to filing a complaint and demanding action against the responsible officials.

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