Prabhjot Singh Joti, the personal assistant to Patiala Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli, and two of his family members have been booked in a case after a young woman committed suicide here on Sunday.

The 29-year-old victim was allegedly upset over the way Joti had harassed her family.

Following the complaint of the victim’s family, a case was registered against the three family members at the Sadar police station under Section 306/34 of the IPC.

Police officers confirmed that Rajinder Kaur alias Preeti consumed poison late on Sunday evening and was declared dead at the local Government Rajindra Hospital. “In the morning, the victim’s parents told us that they did not want any FIR in the case as it was a suicide,” the police said.

Meanwhile, the relatives of the deceased gathered at the hospital and alleged that Joti, PA to Patiala Mayor, and his father and brother had not vacated their shop at Hira Bagh and even threatened the girl’s parents. “Due to mental harassment following threats by Joti and his family, my daughter committed suicide,” reads the complaint from the family of the victim, as told to Newsline by the police.

According to Sadar SHO Sukhvinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh, father of the victim, owned a shop at Hira Bagh that had been rented out to Joti’s family.

“Later, the family allegedly claimed a right over the property and allegedly pressurised Bhupinder Singh to sell the shop at a throwaway price, due to which the family was under pressure and the young woman allegedly committed suicide on Sunday,” the SHO said. The SHO, however, denied that the complainant had named the Mayor in the FIR. “Only the mayor’s PA has been named. We are probing the matter and will make changes in the case accordingly,” he added. SSP Arpit Shukla confirmed the registration of the FIR against Joti and family. “We will look into the matter and proceed in the case as per law,” he said. Meanwhile, in a press statement issued late on Monday evening, Joti claimed that his family had nothing to do with the matter. “I am also not attached with the Mayor in any capacity and am willing to face the case,” he said.