Team Goemkarponn
PRIOL: Days after Assistant Jailor and noted litterateur Dr Ramnath Pandhari Gawade was found dead at his residence, his wife has approached Ponda Police alleging that persistent workplace harassment by senior officials at Colvale Central Jail pushed him to take the extreme step.
In her complaint, Rutika Gawade has urged police to register an FIR against the officials she has named and to conduct an impartial and transparent investigation into the events leading up to her husband’s death.
Dr Gawade, 54, a resident of Tisk in Usgao, was found dead on July 31 after returning home from duty. Police had earlier registered a case of unnatural death and launched an inquiry.
According to the complaint, Dr Gawade had submitted his resignation to the Inspector General of Prisons and the Superintendent of Central Jail on July 7. Rutika claimed that although no formal decision on the resignation was communicated to him, he later chose to continue in service because his family depended on his income and his children were pursuing their education.
She further alleged that after resuming work, his duties were altered and he was required to report every day, unlike his previous work schedule. Rutika has claimed that he remained under constant mental stress due to alleged harassment by senior officers.
The complaint also refers to a phone call made by a jail official on July 15, which she has requested investigators to examine during the probe.
Rutika has appealed to the police to determine why the resignation was not acted upon, whether Dr Gawade was subjected to undue pressure at his workplace, and to take legal action against those found responsible if the allegations are substantiated.
Police are continuing their inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Dr Gawade’s death.
