A tragic incident shocked the Haryana Secretariat in Chandigarh on Wednesday afternoon when a senior administrative officer died by suicide after jumping from the sixth floor of the Secretariat building.

The deceased has been identified as Ganesh Das Arora, who was serving as Special Senior Secretary (Special Private Secretary) to IAS officer Hitesh Kumar Meena.

Incident details

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred around 12:24 pm. Arora was present in his office and appeared to be working normally. He suddenly stood up, went towards the sixth-floor balcony, and jumped before anyone could intervene. He suffered fatal injuries and died on the spot.

Distress over departmental change

Sources within the Secretariat stated that Arora had been under severe mental stress for some time, reportedly due to a recent change in department. Officials believe this prolonged stress may have contributed to the extreme step. He was scheduled to retire in October this year.

Previous suicide attempt

Investigations have revealed that Arora had attempted suicide nearly 15 days ago by going to the Secretariat rooftop. At that time, colleagues and staff intervened in time and prevented the incident. Wednesday’s tragedy has raised serious questions about workplace support mechanisms and monitoring after such warning signs.

Police action and family background

The Chandigarh Police took custody of the body and shifted it to the mortuary at Civil Hospital Sector 16 for post-mortem examination.

Arora’s wife, Uma Arora, is posted at the Haryana Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House). No official statement has been released by the family so far.

Police are conducting a detailed investigation to determine whether workplace stress, administrative pressures, or other personal factors played a role in the incident.