Suicide Over Unpaid Salary Leads to Officials Being Booked, Suspension

A devastating incident in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district has cast a spotlight on systemic failures in rural governance, as Chikkusanayaka, a waterman at Honganur Gram Panchayat, took his own life on October 17, 2025. The 48-year-old’s suicide note revealed a harrowing tale of non-payment of his honorarium for approximately 27 months and relentless harassment by In-Charge Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Ramegowda KN and Mohan Kumar, husband of Gram Panchayat President Nagamma. “Life made difficult to live,” he wrote, highlighting the despair that drove his tragic decision.

The incident, which occurred when Chikkusanayaka was found hanging from a window in the panchayat building, prompted swift action. An FIR was filed at Chamarajanagar East Police Station under sections of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, given his Scheduled Caste background. The accused include Ramegowda, Nagamma, and Mohan Kumar, with allegations of targeted harassment fueling public outrage.

Following an inquiry, the Chamarajanagar Zilla Panchayat CEO suspended Ramegowda KN, citing his failure to fulfill duties under Section 111 of the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993, and violations of Rule 3(i)(ii) and (iii) of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966. Under Rule 10(1)(d) of the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1957, Ramegowda faces a departmental inquiry while under suspension, barred from leaving his workplace without permission and entitled to a subsistence allowance per Rule 98.

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The tragedy has sparked a broader political firestorm. R. Ashok, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, lambasted the Congress-led state government, accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of “bankrupting” Karnataka to fund “political games.” In a fiery X post, Ashok tied the incident to broader fiscal mismanagement, noting the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association’s strike threat over ₹3,300 crore in unpaid bills across eight departments. “Mr. @RahulGandhi, is this your so-called ‘Karnataka Model’? Under the corrupt and exploitative #ATMSarkara, Karnataka has gone bankrupt,” he wrote, slamming the government’s “arrogance and silence” on systemic issues.

This heart-wrenching case underscores the dire consequences of administrative neglect and financial delays for low-wage workers in India’s panchayat system. As the inquiry continues, calls for accountability and reform grow louder, urging the state to address the human toll of its governance failures.

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