Itanagar: Shockwaves are reverberating through Arunachal Pradesh following the death of a 19-year-old man, Gomchu Yekar, whose suicide note leveled serious allegations of prolonged sexual abuse and harassment against two senior government officials. Yekar was discovered deceased in his rented room in Lekhi village, near Itanagar, on October 23.
Yekar’s body was found around 11 am after a neighbour, noticing the door ajar, called out but received no reply. Following the discovery, the local police registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita at the Nirjuli police station. The victim’s father, Tagom Yekar, subsequently filed a First Information Report (FIR), formally accusing IAS officer and former deputy commissioner Talo Potom and Rural Works Department executive engineer Likwang Lowang of abetment to suicide. The complaint asserts his son had endured sustained coercion and harassment from both officials.
The suicide notes left by the deceased contain explosive claims of manipulation, threats, and sexual exploitation. Yekar alleged he was recruited into a position by one of the officials, a situation he stated left him with “no way of living.” He further claimed he had contracted HIV and was later abandoned and blackmailed by his alleged abusers. The notes detailed unfulfilled promises of financial assistance, specifically mentioning an amount of one crore rupees, alongside threats to “destroy his life” should he reveal the alleged abuse. A poignant plea for justice was included, with one note stating, “If I die, it will be because of him. Please give me justice.”
In a dramatic and concerning development, engineer Likwang Lowang reportedly died by suicide himself just hours after his name appeared in Yekar’s note. Inspector Talum Nekam, the officer in charge at Nirjuli police station, confirmed the official registration of the case and stated that additional information would be released on October 24. The gravity of the allegations, which point towards workplace exploitation and misconduct by high-ranking personnel, has generated widespread alarm across the region.
