Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet on Thursday approved the transfer of the investigation into the death of 26-year-old Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), Joshita Das, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) amid growing public demand for a central agency probe.
This was announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday during a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
CM Sarma stated that the formal process of transferring the case would take 20 to 25 days, as it requires approval from the Union Home Ministry.
“Taking cognizance of the matter and the situation under which a promising engineer had to take the extreme step, the cabinet has decided to hand over the case to the CBI,” the chief minister said.
He added that the state’s Chief Secretary had spoken to CBI Director Praveen Sood, who had given an unofficial nod to take over the investigation.
Das was found dead at her rented residence at Barpara in Bongaigaon on July 22.
Later, two senior Public Works Department (PWD) officials were arrested on charges of mentally harassing Joshita Das, who served as an Assistant Engineer with the PWD (Housing) division.
Police also recovered a suicide note that directly accused two senior PWD officials—former Executive Engineer Dinesh Sharma Medhi and former Sub-Divisional Officer Aminul Islam— of subjecting her to continuous mental harassment.
According to the note, Joshita was pressured relentlessly to approve inflated or incomplete bills related to a stadium construction project without proper documentation or architectural drawings.
So far, three people have been arrested in connection with the case, including the two officials named in the note. The identity of the third accused has not been disclosed.
Earlier, a seven-member investigation team was formed by the state government, and videographic documentation was conducted at the project site and related areas.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage across Assam, with multiple organisations and political parties demanding justice.
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On July 27, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee staged a protest in Guwahati’s Ganeshguri, holding the BJP-led government responsible for the engineer’s death.
Civil society organizations, including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), have also raised concerns about corruption within the Public Works Department (PWD) and demanded better safeguards for women employees.
