Ranit Kr. Singh , Kolkata - A Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat president, Jahidul Haque Vaidya, was found hanging in his residence at Pingleswar village in Baduria on Tuesday morning. The recovery of his body comes amid severe pressure over multiple corruption allegations, including the illicit sale of government property. Baduria police have recovered the body, sent it for an autopsy at Rudrapur Hospital, and initiated a thorough investigation to determine whether the death was a suicide or involved foul play.

Local sources revealed that Vaidya, who served as the president of the Jadurhati Uttar Gram Panchayat, was heavily burdened by financial debt and recent public humiliation. On May 31, local residents openly accused him of selling off several battery-powered garbage trucks that the government had provided to the panchayat under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Out of the 12 vehicles officially allocated to the local body, a significant number had recently gone missing, triggering intense public scrutiny and a severe mental breakdown for the panchayat leader.

While the preliminary investigation points toward suicide driven by acute distress, Vaidya's family and political associates allege a deeper conspiracy. Defending the deceased leader, Baduria TMC MLA Burhanul Mukaddin Liton stated that a Block Development Officer (BDO) resolution had legally authorized Vaidya to store the Swachh Bharat Mission vehicles at his residence. Liton claimed that political rivals had weaponized this arrangement to frame Vaidya, adding that the long-serving leader took his own life because he could not bear the public dishonor. Police investigators have maintained that the final autopsy report will conclusively establish the exact cause of death.