Following the death of BJP's ward-level leader Dipika Patel by alleged suicide, the Ward 30 corporator, Chirag Solanki was questioned by Surat police for almost five hours. Solanki was the last person to speak to the 34-year-old deceased. He was also the person who broke into Patel’s room and rushed her to the hospital.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vijaysinh Gurjar told PTI, that Patel did not leave a suicide note, and before taking the “extreme step” she had called Sonlanki and told him that she was under a lot of stress and wanted to end her life.
“Solanki rushed to Patel's house and broke open the door of her bedroom after there was no response from inside despite repeated knocks," the DCP said. According to The Indian Express, police have seized Solanki’s mobile phone for further investigation. Solanki serves as the chairman of the Light and Fire Safety Department at the Surat Municipal Corporation.
Gurjar said that Patel’s husband was away but her children were at the house. Solanki rushed Patel to the New Civil Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival. The DCP added that the autopsy confirmed that the death was caused by hanging. Her mobile was sent for forensic analysis as a part of the investigation.
Patel was reportedly found hanging from the ceiling fan of her bedroom at around 2 pm on Sunday. According to The Indian Express, Patel’s three children were on the ground floor at the time of the incident while she was on the first floor.
Her family has demanded a forensic post-mortem as they suspected foul play. On Monday, Patel’s body was handed over to her kin after autopsy. A large number of people, including BJP city president Niranjan Jajmera, Mayor Daxesh Mawani, and other party leaders and workers, attended her funeral procession held later in the day.
Dipika Patel was the president of BJP Mahila Morcha Ward 30 in Surat.