The CSS Forum, a body representing Central government officials, said that it strongly condemned the harassment of Deepak Khoda and urged the ministries to conduct a free and fair probe.
| Photo Credit: X/@CSSforum_
Two days after a 33-year-old Central government official attempted suicide at his office due to “workplace harassment”, the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) Forum wrote to the Ministers of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister and Department of Personnel and Training demanding a “free and fair probe with immediate action against the erring officers”.
The victim, Deepak Khoda, miraculously survived the fall from the seventh-floor office of the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry at Shastri Bhavan building in Central Delhi, where he was posted.
His father, R.S. Meena, a district education officer with the Rajasthan Government, submitted a complaint at Kartavya Path police station on October 1, but a First Information Report (FIR) was yet to be registered.
“My son was under severe stress for the past six months. His senior officers harassed him and humiliated him in front of others. Before he jumped from his office, he spoke to me for half an hour, saying that he was scared and depressed. I asked him to apply for leave,” Mr. Meena told The Hindu.
The father said that his son survived the fall as he fell on a vehicle and suffered a fracture to his left hand.
The CSS Forum, a body representing Central government officials, said that it strongly condemned the harassment of Mr. Khoda and urged the ministries to conduct a free and fair probe with immediate action against the erring officers. “The case highlights the urgent need to curb workplace harassment & prioritise mental health,” it said.
On October 1, around 150 CSS officials marched to the Kartavya Path police station to demand an FIR against senior officers who allegedly drove Mr. Khoda to take the extreme step.
“The police was not even ready to receive the complaint till other officials arrived.” Mr. Meena said.
Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry officials said that Mr. Khoda had been working at the Ministry for about 8-9 years. One official said that the Ministry has not been made aware of any workplace harassment faced by him either in writing or orally through informal networks during this time.
They added that the Ministry immediately contacted the authorities after the incident and that appropriate support was being provided to the family. On the police complaint being filed, officials said necessary processes will be taken up by the appropriate authorities.
(For those in distress, counselling is available at MANAS 14416)
Published – October 02, 2025 10:13 pm IST
