Gorakhpur: Police arrested former Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Shalini Srivastava, the prime accused in the Krishna Mohan Singh suicide case, from Delhi. She had been absconding for nearly four months. The arrest was made by the Gulriha police with the help of surveillance teams, officials said on Wednesday.
Shalini is being produced before the court for further legal proceedings. Another accused in the case, clerk Sanjeev Kumar Singh, remains absconding, and police teams are conducting raids to trace him. Both accused were facing non-bailable warrants, attachment proceedings, and a reward of Rs 25,000 each had been announced for information leading to their arrest.
Shalini, a resident of Ballia district, was posted as BSA in Deoria when the incident took place. According to the FIR lodged by Gudia Singh, wife of the teacher, Krishna Mohan Singh was appointed as an assistant teacher in a secondary school in Deoria in July 2016. His appointment, along with those of two others, was cancelled in 2023.
After the Allahabad High Court set aside the cancellation order on February 13, 2025, and directed authorities to pass a fresh order, no action was taken despite the directive being communicated to the education department. The complaint alleged that clerk Sanjeev Kumar Singh demanded Rs 16 lakh each from the teachers in exchange for restoring their appointments. Although substantial amounts were allegedly paid in instalments, further demands and pressure continued.
Krishna Mohan Singh died by suicide on February 21, a day after being called to the BSA office and subjected to humiliation and harassment.
Confirming the arrest, Gorakhnath Circle Officer (CO) Ravi Kumar Singh said Shalini Srivastava was arrested from Delhi after sustained efforts by police teams. He added that operations were continuing to apprehend the absconding clerk and that further legal action in the case would be taken as per due process.
