PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Pithoragarh
A newly elected Gram Pradhan of Nankudi village under Didihat area of Pithoragarh district was found dead on Friday afternoon. The body of 40-year-old Sanjay Kumar was discovered hanging from a tree in a forest near the local primary school. The officials informed that villagers informed the police after spotting the body.
A team from Askot police station reached the site, brought the body down and sent it to the Pithoragarh district hospital for postmortem. The police station in-charge Suresh Kamboj said that initial findings indicate suicide, though the police are looking into all angles. Family members said that Kumar had been under mental stress for some time.
The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report, as per the officials. Kumar was elected unopposed as Gram Pradhan two weeks ago. He had previously held the position from 2002 to 2007 and was involved in implementing government schemes during that tenure.
Villagers said that they trusted him for his work in local development, which led to his unopposed election in the recent three-tier Panchayat polls. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. The police are investigating the case.
