Former Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta dies by suicide at Noida residence, suicide note found
PTC News Desk: Former Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, a 1975-batch IAS officer who served as the city’s top bureaucrat during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, allegedly died by suicide at his residence in Noida, officials said.
Mehta, who was around 74-75 years old, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his flat in Kendriya Vihar-2 Society, Sector 82, on September 6.
Police said they received information about the incident through Dial-112. A team from the Phase-2 police station reached the society shortly afterwards. Since the flat was locked from inside, police broke open the door and found Mehta’s body inside.
A suspected suicide note was also recovered from the residence. According to police, Mehta mentioned mental and health problems in the note as the reason for taking the extreme step. A forensic team inspected the flat and collected evidence as part of the initial investigation.
At the time of the incident, Mehta’s wife, Sumanti Mehta, was in Dehradun visiting their son. She became worried after her husband repeatedly did not answer her calls.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mehta’s death and examining the contents of the note along with other evidence collected from the residence. After the inquest and post-mortem examination, his body was handed over to the family. He was cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium on Monday.
Rakesh Mehta’s administrative career
Mehta served as Delhi’s Chief Secretary from 2007 until his retirement in November 2010, during the tenure of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
His tenure coincided with preparations for and the organisation of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. During this period, the Delhi administration was involved in several major infrastructure and civic development projects.
Throughout his career, Mehta held several senior positions in the Delhi government and also served as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Former colleagues remembered him for his involvement in important transport, power and civic infrastructure projects in the national capital.
- With inputs from agencies
