Lucknow: A 57-year-old station house officer (SHO) in Basti district was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his govt accommodation on Saturday evening.He was alone at home as his family had gone to their native village for Raksha Bandhan celebrations. The incident came to light around 9:30 pm when his neighbour, a sub-inspector, found that the main door was locked from inside and SHO was not responding to calls. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the door was forced open and SHO was found hanging from the fan with a rope.Police officers, including DIG Basti Sanjeev Tyagi, SP Yashveer Singh, ASP Shyamkant, the circle officer and SDM, reached the spot. The body was brought down and sent for post-mortem. A forensic team also collected evidence from the scene. His family members reached Basti after receiving information about the incident.The deceased SHO had reported for duty as usual on Saturday morning and heard people’s grievances at the police station. Later, he travelled to Civil Lines police outpost with his colleagues. He left them there and returned alone to his govt accommodation.SHO’s WhatsApp status posted on Saturday morning has also drawn attention. He had written, “Wealth and property are necessary, but they are not greater than peace and love.” While some are viewing the message as a possible indication of his state of mind, police said it could also have been an ordinary thought shared by him. Its significance, if any, will be determined during the investigation.DIG has formed three teams, comprising forensic, surveillance and police personnel, to examine all aspects of the case.
