Note by petrol pump owner names 13, FIR against six

PANCHKULA:THE nine-page suicide note written by a Mohali-based petrol pump owner, who died by suicide in Panchkula on Wednesday night, mentions at least 13 names, including officials of Chandigarh administration, a petroleum corporation, Punjab Police and a close family member, but the FIR has been registered against only six.

Police say they may add more names as investigation progresses.

The 76-year-old deceased, a resident of Sector 69, Mohali, owned two petrol pumps – one in Phase 7, Mohali, and another in Patrasi, Fatehgarh Sahib.

“I hereby confirm and declare truth that I have committed suicide due to harassment by officials of an oil corporation (names withheld),” he wrote in the suicide note, while naming six officials.

Alleging that officials of the UT administration, an oil company and Punjab Police forced him to sell a property, he wrote: “By way of cheating and conspiracy, they snatched my property in the name of my wife (name concealed) at Daun on Chandigarhkharar road.”

He also wrote about complaining to senior officials of the oil company, but no action was taken.

Mentioning how he was incurring monthly loss of ₹80 lakh due to difference in VAT rates between neighbouring states, he wrote: “I had gone bankrupt due to lowering of VAT rates of petrol and diesel by UT administration at the behest of (one private dealer) and other dealers at Sector 49 and 52 by bribing Chandigarh (officers).”

The note further read that he was a simple businessman who could not fight corrupt officials of the oil firm and UT administration, a private dealer, a woman with whom he had finalised a properly deal and her son-in-law, with an appeal to lodge FIR against all culprits.

For now, UT Police have booked only the six officials of the oil firm for abetment to suicide. “In his suicide note, he specifically named six people, while mentioning a series of events and names of several others. If their role is established during investigation, their names may be included in the FIR,” said DCP Mohit Handa.

BUSINESSMAN POINTED AT NEXUS BETWEEN OFFICIALS OF UT, PUNJAB POLICE AND AN OIL COMPANY