Gujarat IAS Officer's Wife Who Died By Suicide Left A Note For Tamil Nadu CM, What Did She Write?
A Gujarat cadre IAS officer’s wife, Suriya (45), passed away on Saturday morning after allegedly consuming poison. She left behind a note addressed to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, detailing her "ordeal and anguish" over being "falsely accused" in two criminal cases in the state, an official from the Gandhinagar district police told The Indian Express.
Suriya, the wife of Ranjeeth Kumar J, currently the Secretary of the Gujarat Electricity Regulation Commission (GERC), was found in a garden near their official residence after purportedly ingesting poison. Despite efforts, she succumbed at the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital.
Suriya's Note and Allegations
A senior police officer revealed that Suriya’s note, written in Tamil, was addressed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. In her letter, she proclaimed her innocence, stating that a person named ‘Raja’ had trapped her, leading to her entanglement in two criminal cases. The first case involved loan recovery from a woman allegedly lent money by Raja, and the second concerned the kidnapping of a boy. Suriya asserted that her husband, Ranjeeth Kumar, is a noble man who cared for their children in her absence.
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Investigation and Legal Context
The police have registered the case as an accidental death and are investigating the circumstances surrounding Suriya's actions. They are determining whether she brought the poison with her and if she had any interaction with her husband before her death. Her body is currently being held in Gandhinagar, awaiting the arrival of her family from Tamil Nadu for final rites.
According to Hitesh Gupta, Ranjeeth Kumar’s advocate, the couple had been separated since 2023 and were in the process of divorcing. Kumar had planned to file for divorce in Gandhinagar on Monday, but Suriya’s death has rendered this unnecessary. They had been married for 20 years and have two children living with Kumar in Gandhinagar.
Legal Troubles
Suriya faced legal issues in Tamil Nadu, with the Thoothukudi North police station filing charges against her for uttering obscene words, assaulting or using criminal force to deter a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, and resisting lawful apprehension. She had sought anticipatory bail in March and April from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
Ranjeeth Kumar's Career
Ranjeeth Kumar is a 2005-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, who transitioned from working in an automobile parts manufacturing company in Chennai to civil services. His roles have included Deputy Collector in Tamil Nadu, District Development Officer in Bhavnagar, Joint MD at Gujarat Industrial Chemicals Co Pvt Ltd, Director of the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board, District Collector of Tapi and Dahod, Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department, and several other key positions before his current role at GERC.
The case remains under investigation, and the police are yet to communicate with Madurai authorities regarding Suriya’s legal standing.
