Patwari ends life after brother’s wedding celebration:Suicide note alleges harassment, cites 3 notices in 4 days, blames Naib Tehsildar

A Patwari, Ravishankar Kharadi, died by suicide by hanging himself with a scarf at his home in Ratlam on 21 April. A day before the incident, he was seen happily dancing at his younger brother’s wedding. Police have recovered a suicide note from under his bed. Ravishankar had also sent this note on WhatsApp to Narendra Verma, president of the Patwari Union in Alot tehsil. In it, he asked how many patwaris would support him. In the suicide note, he has accused Naib Tehsildar Savita Rathore of pressurising him into wrongdoing and also of not granting leave for his younger brother’s wedding. The investigation has revealed that he had received three show-cause notices within four days. Based on this, Collector Misha Singh suspended Naib Tehsildar Savita Rathore on Wednesday. Did not attend brother’s wedding reception either Ravishankar Kharadi was posted as patwari in Halka No. 34 of Khajuri Solanki. His younger brother Siddharth’s wedding took place on 20 April. The baraat went to Tarwakhati near Banswara, Rajasthan. Ravishankar, wearing a traditional turban, danced enthusiastically there, and family members even lifted him on their shoulders. According to his brother Siddharth Kharadi, Ravishankar left for home before the baraat returned. He also did not attend the wedding reception in the evening and switched off his mobile phone. He returned home around 2 am and went to sleep in a room on the third floor. When wife opened the door, he was found hanging from a noose Siddharth said that around 10 am on 21 April, he went to Ravishankar’s room. He was lying on the bed. When asked about tea and breakfast, he said he would come down later. At around 3 pm, when he again knocked on the door, there was no response. His sister-in-law Reena went to wake him up. When she pushed the door open, she screamed loudly. Hearing her cries, family members rushed in and found Ravishankar hanging from a ceiling fan. He was immediately taken to the medical college, where doctors declared him dead. Suicide note stated – Cannot work under pressure In the suicide note recovered by police, he wrote that his name is Ravishankar Kharadi and he is a patwari in Halka No. 34. He alleged that Naib Tehsildar Savita Rathore was continuously pressuring him at work. He wrote that pressure was put on him to alter reports such as spot inspection reports, panchanama, land division records and other official documents. Due to this pressure, he could not even focus on his younger brother’s wedding and did not get time to distribute invitation cards. He further wrote that he was repeatedly called to the officer’s quarter and even threatened that his brother’s wedding would not be allowed to take place peacefully. He also claimed that recordings of these conversations exist. He stated that he was being forced into wrongdoing at the quarter as well. He added that despite all this, show-cause notices were being issued against him, and he could not continue working under such pressure. Asked in WhatsApp group – How many patwaris will support me? Ravishankar Kharadi sent a message in the WhatsApp group ‘New Allot Provincial Patwari Sangh’ at 10:27 AM on April 22, ‘I have one question, how many patwaris will support me.’ After this, at 11:45 AM he sent a suicide note to Tehsil President Narendra Verma. Then at 11:52 AM he wrote in the group, ‘Thank you for everyone’s support.’ Verma and other colleagues continuously called Ravishankar after this, but he did not respond. Naib Tehsildar had warned of unilateral action During investigation, it was found that Naib Tehsildar Savita Rathore had issued three show-cause notices to Ravishankar within four days—on 6 April, 8 April and 9 April. He was also warned of unilateral action if he failed to respond within three days. 3 notices in 4 days…read what was in them? April 6, 2026 8 April 2026 9 April 2026 Provincial President said- Naib Tehsildar should be dismissed State president of MP Patwari Union, Bhupendra Singh Baghel, said that the “authoritarian behaviour and mental harassment by the Naib Tehsildar has taken their colleague’s life.” He termed it not just a suicide but an “institutional murder” and demanded immediate dismissal and arrest of the officer, along with ₹1 crore compensation for the family. Received compassionate appointment after father’s death Ravishankar’s father Rameshwar Kharadi was also a patwari and died of a heart attack in December 2023. After his death, Ravishankar was given a job on compassionate grounds. He is survived by his wife Reena, a 4-year-old daughter, a pregnant wife, his mother, younger brother Siddharth and a 16-year-old sister. He also rented a room in Alot due to his posting.