BoB chief manager dies by suicide in office, note cites 'work pressure'

Body found inside locked Baramati branch after wife raised alarm when repeated calls went unanswered

A senior official at Bank of Baroda allegedly died by suicide inside its branch in Baramati town of Maharashtra’s Pune district, with an initial police investigation attributing the act to work-related stress. A suicide note recovered from the scene cited pressure at work as the reason behind the extreme step.

Resignation filed weeks before incident

The deceased, identified as Shivshankar Mitra (52), was the chief manager at the bank. Originally from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Mitra had submitted his resignation on July 11, 2025, citing health concerns and work pressure. He was serving his 90-day notice period at the time of the incident.

 

Mitra asked colleague to leave premises

According to police, the incident occurred late on the night of July 17. After banking hours, Mitra reportedly asked his colleagues to leave the premises, stating he would close the branch. The branch watchman also left around 9.30 pm. Mitra is said to have earlier requested a colleague to bring a rope, which was later used in the act. 

 

News agency PTI cites a Baramati police officer, saying, “At approximately 10 pm, Mitra hanged himself from the ceiling using the rope.” He added that the act was recorded on the bank’s CCTV cameras. “When he did not return home or respond to calls, his wife went to the bank around midnight. On finding the lights on and getting no response, she alerted other staff members. When the branch was opened, Mitra was found hanging.”

Note cites work pressure, no individuals blamed

A suicide note was found at the scene, in which Mitra cited work pressure as the reason for his action. Police confirmed that he had not blamed any individual in the note. “The note conveys his concern over the workload faced by bank employees and appeals to the institution not to burden staff excessively. He also apologised to his wife and daughter and expressed a wish to donate his eyes,” said a senior officer. 

Police investigation ongoing

Inspector Vilas Nale of Baramati City Police Station said, “We have recovered a copy of Mitra’s resignation letter from the bank, which mentions health issues and work-related pressure. An accidental death report has been filed as per procedure. No foul play is suspected at this stage, but further investigation is ongoing.”

 

Police are also examining whether any additional pressure was exerted on Mitra during his notice period, though no evidence of direct harassment has yet emerged. His body was sent for postmortem.