BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma Found Dead At Delhi Home, Suicide Suspected

A BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh, Ram Swaroop Sharma, was found dead at his residence in Delhi today, the police said, adding they are investigating whether it was a case of suicide.

Mr Sharma, 62, was found hanging in his room, Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said. He was taken to a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide, the police said, adding that no suicide note was found from the spot.

Police officials said that Mr Sharma's personal assistant alerted the police control room around 7.45 am after the parliamentarian did not respond to knocks on his door. A police team was rushed to his residence immediately and forced open the door and found Mr Sharma hanging.

"He was found hanging inside his room, which was locked from inside. No suicide note has been found," the police said.

An inquiry is underway and the exact cause of his death will be ascertained after a post-mortem examination, the police said.

The parliamentarian was reportedly unwell for the past few months.

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were also adjourned till 1 PM after an obituary reference to Mr Sharma.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to say that he was pained by Mr Sharma's untimely and unfortunate demise. 

Shri Ram Swaroop Sharma was a dedicated leader, who was always committed to solving people's problems. He worked tirelessly for the betterment of society. Pained by his untimely and unfortunate demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this sad hour. Om Shanti.

- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 17, 2021

The BJP cancelled its parliamentary party meeting today following the news of his death.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur remembered Mr Sharma as a dedicated party worker. "We learnt about his unfortunate death in morning. We used his work as an example for party workers. We're extremely saddened, hope his soul rests in peace. His body is being taken for postmortem," Mr Thakur was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mr Sharma was a two-time MP. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Mandi parliamentary constituency in 2014 and 2019.

He is the second MP to die by suicide in less than a month. In February, Mohan Delkar, an independent MP from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was found dead at a hotel in Mumbai.

With inputs from PTI