New Delhi, April 16: Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Krishan Dayal Sharma (79), committed suicide at his east Delhi residence on Thursday. Sharma was reportedly depressed at his inability to deal with recurring bouts of pain due to a prolonged stomach ailment.
According to police, the incident was reported around 10 am from Sharma’s two-storey residence located in the posh Madhuban Colony locality. “We were informed about the incident by his servant, who discovered his employer’s corpse in the master bathroom around 9 am,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.
Sharma reportedly shot himself in the forehead with his licensed .32 bore pistol, following an acute pain in his abdomen on Wednesday night.
“He used to be depressed because of his health,” said Ravindra Sharma (35), the slain IFS officer’s servant, who used to double-up as the caretaker of the house whenever his employer went abroad. Apart from Pakistan, Sharma had also served in diplomatic missions to Zambia, Mauritius, Australia and Spain before retiring in 1989.
Police said the incident comes less than three weeks after his second wife, Antonia, had left the country to visit her relatives in Madrid, Spain. “Sharma had divorced his first wife, Veena Sharma in 1989 and had been married to Antonia since,” the officer said.
Police said Sharma has two sons from his first wife, both of whom are settled abroad. “His elder son, Vikram (47) is a scientist and is settled in Australia while his younger son Gautam (45) works as editor of a popular car magazine in Dubai,” said the officer.
Police said Sharma left behind three suicide notes. His body had been sent for post mortem and a case had been registered at the Preet Vihar police station.
—-Agencies