In a dramatic turn, senior civil servant Talo Potom has voluntarily handed himself over to authorities, concluding an exhaustive two-day pursuit linked to the devastating suicide of 19-year-old Gomchu Yekar. Serving as Special Under Secretary in New Delhi’s Public Works Department, Potom walked into custody early Monday, signaling a pivotal shift in a case that has ignited fierce scrutiny over alleged abuses of power.
The inquiry traces back to Yekar’s tragic end, where a poignant farewell message implicated Potom and Rural Works Department Executive Engineer Likwang Lowang—who himself perished by suicide soon after—in a web of intimate coercion, psychological torment, and life-altering health risks. Yekar’s family and supporters, including the All Tagin Students’ Union (ATSU), have spotlighted claims that the young man contracted HIV through interactions with the accused, a diagnosis later confirmed medically. These revelations have painted a grim picture of manipulation, with Yekar reportedly drawn into administrative roles under false pretenses of job security and financial lures.
Potom, who once oversaw the Itanagar Capital Region as Deputy Commissioner, has vehemently rejected the charges in a candid video address post-surrender. Describing the accusations as “utterly unfounded,” he recounted recruiting Yekar as a multi-tasking staffer to tackle community challenges like substance abuse, only for the youth to later entangle himself in a fraudulent scheme involving sham judicial proceedings. Potom detailed how Yekar’s spouse repeatedly approached him for funds and intervention during the fallout, requests he turned down. Insisting on no ties to Lowang and expressing profound dismay at his mention in the note, Potom stressed his trust in legal processes and called for calm adherence to justice.
Law enforcement, having activated a nationwide alert and scoured digital footprints—only to hit roadblocks from a cleverly swapped SIM card—welcomed the development. Naharlagun’s Superintendent of Police noted the surrender as a brief respite amid escalating tensions, with the Nirjuli station’s probe now delving deeper into communications, witness accounts, and forensic traces under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions for instigation of harm and hazardous conduct.
The saga has unleashed a torrent of indignation across Arunachal Pradesh, especially in Itanagar circles. ATSU’s General Secretary Vijay Domin, rallying beside Yekar’s grieving relatives outside a key medical facility, issued a stark 24-hour deadline to officials, threatening symbolic escalation by relocating the remains to Potom’s doorstep if accountability lagged. Domin’s plea extended to urging anyone else potentially victimized to seek immediate health checks, amplifying demands from civic networks and youth advocates for unyielding transparency and reform in public service.
As interrogations unfold, this high-profile reckoning underscores broader calls to safeguard the vulnerable from institutional overreach, with communities bracing for revelations that could reshape trust in governance.
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