Nainital: Tension gripped Lalkuan after the death of property dealer and social worker Mahesh Joshi, who consumed poison in the tehsil premises under suspicious circumstances on 20 September. He was found in a semi-conscious state near his vehicle and later referred from Haldwani to Bareilly’s Ram Murti Hospital, where he died during treatment on Monday.
Soon after his body was brought back to Lalkuan, angry locals and family members placed it outside the Kotwali and staged a massive protest. Demonstrators demanded the arrest of Patwari Pooja Rani, whose name was mentioned in Joshi’s suicide note. The protest continued for nearly four hours, with slogans raised against the revenue department.
Several local leaders, including Junior Pramukh Kamal Bhandari, Gram Pradhan Rukmani Negi, senior social worker Hemwati Nandan Durgapal, Inder Singh Bisht, Ramesh Joshi, Radha Kailash Bhatt, Umesh Phulara, Mukesh Dumka, and Piyush Joshi joined the agitation, demanding justice and strict action against the accused.
Police initially struggled to pacify the crowd. Later, Haldwani City Magistrate, SDM Lalkuan, CO Lalkuan, and local MLA Dr. Mohan Bisht reached the spot for talks. However, villagers remained firm until they were shown live visuals via video call of Patwari Pooja Rani’s arrest by Ramnagar police. Only then did the protesters agree to end the sit-in around 9 PM, allowing the family to proceed with the cremation.
The incident has sparked serious questions about administrative negligence. Locals alleged that despite Joshi consuming poison inside the tehsil campus, authorities failed to notice or act in time. His death has left the community in shock. Joshi, 54, a resident of Babur Gumti, is survived by two sons and two daughters.
