Tilaknagar society secretary's 'suicide' baffles cops

The alleged suicide of A D Parker (60), secretary of Sahyog Cooperative Housing Society at Tilaknagar, on Saturday has shocked residents and baffled the cops. While society members allege that Parker ended his life due to pressure from builder N Krishnamurthy, the builder alleges that society members are responsible for the death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VII) Dillip Bhujbal says that the police are verifying the suicide note found at the spot.“The suicide note claims that Parker was dissatisfied with repair work in the building and decided to end his life.� However, it’s still a mystery how Parker put kerosene on his body and set it aflame without being noticed.
Caught in the crossfire is the Parker family. “My father has gone and he’ll not return. We don’t want to aggravate our sorrow by talking about the issue,� says son Atul.
Jagdish Belnekar, a resident, says, “On Saturday, we had a society meeting, but Parker did not turn up. When a member went to his home, he was told that he hadn’t returned from outside. Then, some children came to us to say that there was someone lying near the water tank. We went up and found a body. We brought the cops over; it was then that we realised it was Parker.�
Subhash Nayak, another resident, say Krishnamurthy had cheated society members, who had agreed to his extension plan. “Krishnamurthy had agreed to build an additional 18 flats. But he started carving out two flats from the proposed single flats.�
Krishnamurthy says Parker had defaulted in payment of society dues and was under pressure from members to pay up. “I have no role in his suicide. If my name is mentioned in the suicide note, I will consult my lawyer for legal recourse,� he says, adding that his two flats scheme is awaiting amendment from the BMC. “In fact, due to the society’s callousness, I’ve lost several lakhs.�
Adds Surendra Desai, another member, “Parker had not defaulted on dues. He was under a lot of pressure since the original documents of the building were with the builder who never returned the same,� he says.