Farmer commits suicide over Rs 4 cr land fraud; SHO, SI suspended, entire police station face action
Babushahi Bureau
Uttarakhand, January 12, 2026: In a shocking incident, a farmer allegedly died by suicide after accusing a land mafia and police officials of a multi-crore fraud in Uttarakhand. The deceased, Sukhwant Singh, shot himself dead in Haldwani after going live on Facebook for over four minutes, during which he levelled serious allegations against 27 people, including police personnel.
According to the allegations made during the live video, Sukhwant Singh claimed he was cheated of nearly Rs 4 crore—Rs 3 crore in cash and Rs 1 crore through bank transactions—by an organised gang. He further alleged that police officials from Kashipur’s ITI police station accepted Rs 30 lakh as bribe from the accused, resulting in his complaints being ignored and him being harassed for nearly four months.
The suicide note recovered from the deceased reportedly names 27 individuals, including a police official, holding them responsible for his death.
Following public outrage and the family’s threat to stage a protest by refusing to perform last rites, Udham Singh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manikant Mishra took swift and stringent action. Station House Officer (SHO) Kundan Rautla and Sub-Inspector Prakash Bisht of Kashipur ITI police station have been suspended with immediate effect.
In addition, a total of 10 police personnel, including the in-charge of the Paigha Police Post, have been sent on line duty as part of the departmental action.
The SSP has transferred the investigation of the entire case to Superintendent of Police (Crime) Niharika Tomar to ensure a fair and impartial probe. Meanwhile, acting on the directions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat has also initiated a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Farmer organisations have intensified their demand for a CBI investigation, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the involvement of police officials. However, following the prompt administrative action by the police, the deceased farmer’s family has, for the time being, postponed their proposed protest.