Chandigarh, June 4
Punjab education department officer Vinod Kumar, who was in controversy for irregularities in the purchase of books for government school libraries, allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the Sukhna Lake yesterday.

The body of the officer, which the police fished out from the Lake around 11.15 am yesterday, was identified today by his family members who told the police that Vinod (57) was suffering from severe depression for quite some time.

Vinod, Deputy Director (Vocational) in the Punjab Education Department, was a member of the committee constituted by Punjab Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka for the purchase of books worth Rs 9.5 crore last year.

The Jindal Commission, appointed by the state government to inquire into the scam, reportedly indicted the committee for violating rules to purchase books. Vinod was reportedly under depression due to reports carried in the media about findings of the Commission.

Police investigations revealed that Vinod and his wife Vijay Kumari, who is also the Deputy Director (Guidance Bureau) in the same department, had gone to his office as usual at 9.15 am yesterday. After parking the car, the couple had left for their respective offices as per their daily routine.

The police said before leaving for the Lake, Vinod had left his mobile, wallet and car keys on the car’s dashboard. He allegedly jumped off stair number 4 of the Lake near the Golf Club. After noticing a body floating in the Lake at 11.15 am, a police patrolling party fished it out and kept it in the mortuary of the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16.

Meanwhile, Vinod’s wife returned to her car at 5.30 pm after completing her day’s work. With a duplicate key, she unlocked the car and waited for her husband for an hour. As her calls to Vinod went unanswered, she assumed that he was in a meeting. Upon calling his staff, she was told that Vinod had not attended the office.

Thereafter, she informed the police and a daily diary report was registered by the Mohali police yesterday evening.

Today, after reading in newspapers about an unidentified body being recovered from the Lake, Vinod’s family got in touch with the UT police and identified the body.