2 min readRaipurApr 26, 2026 07:02 AM IST
Days after a school headmaster died by suicide in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, allegedly under pressure to release funds for a poorly built school, police have arrested the project contractor for abetment to suicide.
The incident comes a year after journalist Mukesh Chandrakar was murdered allegedly by a road contractor over a report exposing substandard road work in Bijapur, one of India’s most Maoist-affected districts.
On April 22, Raju Pujari, 50, headmaster of a school in Palnar and a resident of Cherpal, was found hanging in a forest near his home. His suicide note allegedly names three men, including Bijapur contractor Devashish Mandal, who was arrested Saturday.
At least two more accused are wanted in the case. Local Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi, who protested with Pujari’s family outside a police station, told The Indian Express, “The school construction work was very poor and Pujari was an honest man. He was not releasing funds fearing the school walls may collapse and he will be implicated for corruption”.
During investigation, police allegedly found the suicide was linked to construction of a school building being executed through the School Management Committee, with Mandal as contractor. Around 40 percent of the payment had allegedly been made, with a dispute arising over the remaining few lakh rupees.
“The investigation indicates that the deceased had been mentally distressed for a long time and was fearful of being coerced by certain individuals into engaging in wrongful acts and being implicated, particularly in connection with the payment for the construction work,” said a police officer. “Based on the inquest report (panchnama), post-mortem report, and witness statements obtained so far, a prima facie cognizable offence of abetment to suicide has been established.”
