Surajpur, Sep 20 — A driver working with the Assistant Commissioner of the Tribal Welfare Department died under suspicious circumstances in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district after reportedly visiting a remote village with a relative for traditional healing, police said.
The deceased, identified as Lakhanram, had travelled to Parsiya village under the jurisdiction of Odagi police station along with his brother-in-law for faith healing and traditional treatment.
According to police, Lakhanram consumed excessive alcohol while returning from the village and was, as a result, unable to walk. With help from another person, he was taken across a drain and left to sleep at an acquaintance's house.
The following morning, when his brother-in-law went to check on him, Lakhanram was reportedly missing. His body was subsequently found in a pit approximately 100–200 metres from the house.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Surajpur, Yogesh Kumar Dewangan, said police had registered a case and initiated an investigation. Police suspect that excessive alcohol consumption and a fall into the pit may have caused the death. However, the exact circumstances will become clear only after the post-mortem examination and further investigation.
The incident has raised questions among the deceased’s family members and others regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.
Meanwhile, bringing Lakhanram’s body out of the remote village reportedly proved challenging due to poor road conditions.
With vehicles unable to reach the village because of muddy and damaged roads, villagers and others used a makeshift stretcher made from a bedsheet, blanket and bamboo to carry the body on their shoulders to a location accessible by vehicle.
The incident has also highlighted the lack of proper road connectivity in the area. Villagers had recently staged a protest demanding improvements to the road leading to Parsiya village.
Police are awaiting the post-mortem report to establish the precise cause of death. Further investigation is underway.