Bongaigaon: Two senior Assam government officials have been arrested in connection with the alleged abetment of suicide of a junior staff member, police confirmed on Thursday.

The victim, a woman assistant engineer from the Public Works Department (PWD), originally from Guwahati and posted in Bongaigaon, was found dead in her apartment on Tuesday. She reportedly left a suicide note naming the two officials and citing extreme workplace stress as the reason for her decision.

Bongaigaon Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohan Lal Meena told PTI, “We have arrested the two persons named in the suicide note. One is an executive engineer of the PWD and the other a sub-divisional officer.”

“They have been sent to judicial custody. We have obtained permission to interrogate them and continue our investigation,” Meena added.

Police are currently verifying the claims outlined in the suicide note found beside the woman’s body. According to another official familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the note accused the two officials of exerting intense pressure on her related to the construction of a mini stadium in Bongaigaon.

According to her suicide note, Joshita Das stated that she was under severe pressure to approve a contractor’s bill for the construction of a stadium at Borsojgaon, located within the Gossaigaon Assembly constituency. The project was carried out by M/s Achetic Creations.

She alleged that despite the absence of essential architectural drawings and proper documentation, two senior officials repeatedly urged her to process the payment.

Joshita further claimed that the contractor, Rudra Pathak, had failed to appoint a site engineer, effectively leaving her solely responsible for overseeing on-site work.

She also levelled accusations against architect Debajit Sarma, alleging that he submitted an incomplete estimate riddled with discrepancies.

Her note described how multiple requests for support were ignored. Although the two officials—identified as Medhi and Islam—had recently been transferred, with Medhi posted to the Nalbari NH Division and Islam to the Chief Engineer's Office, Joshita alleged that they continued to exert pressure on her from their new roles.

Following her death, Joshita’s mother lodged a First Information Report (FIR), alleging sustained harassment that led to her daughter’s suicide.

The woman also alleged that they forced her to approve inflated bills submitted by a contractor.

The investigation is ongoing as authorities seek to uncover further details surrounding the case.

(with PTI and IANS inputs)