Businessman Manoj Parmar and his wife Neha were found hanging at their home in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district.
A Madhya Pradesh couple whose kids gifted their piggy banks to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his Nyay Yatra were found hanging at their residence in Sehore district on Friday morning. The tragic incident has sparked controversy, with the family alleging that the couple faced immense stress due to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) actions against them. Businessman Manoj Parmar and his wife, Neha, had gained public attention during Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra when his children presented a piggy bank to the Congress leader. Following this, Congress leaders allege that he was targeted by the BJP.
On December 5, the ED raided four properties linked to Parmar in Indore and Sehore as part of a money laundering probe connected to a 2017 CBI FIR. Documents detailing various movable and immovable assets were seized, and Rs 3.5 lakh in bank accounts was frozen. Parmar was also arrested in connection with a Rs 6 crore fraud case involving a nationalised bank.
Family members insist that the ED’s actions pushed the couple to their breaking point. Parmar’s brother stated that ongoing legal battles and investigations caused severe mental distress. Former Congress district president Kailash Parmar added that Manoj’s son played a significant role in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, organising the symbolic “Gullak” (piggy bank) initiative.
Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh accused the ED of harassment. “Manoj Parmar from Ashta, Sehore district, MP, was being harassed by the ED without any valid reason. Manoj’s children gifted a piggy bank to Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. His house was raided by ED Assistant Director Sanjeet Kumar Sahu. According to Manoj, he was targeted because of his support for the Indian National Congress. I arranged legal assistance for him, but with great sadness, I report that Manoj and his wife tragically took their own lives this morning. I demand a fair investigation by the Director of the ED into this matter,” Singh wrote on X.