Arunachal court grants bail to IAS officer Talo Potom in suicide abetment case

The District and Sessions Court in Yupia has granted bail to IAS officer Talo Potom in a case related to the alleged abetment of suicide, citing insufficient prima facie evidence to justify continued custody. The court allowed bail on a Rs 1 lakh bond.

Potom, the former Deputy Commissioner of the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), had been in judicial custody since his voluntary surrender on October 27. He was earlier remanded to 14 days of custody and sent to Jullang District Central Jail.

The case stems from the alleged suicide of an individual named Yekar, who reportedly left a note accusing Potom and Executive Engineer Lowang of sexual exploitation and mental harassment. The accusations claimed that the harassment drove him to take his own life.

Police at Nirjuli Station registered Case No. 92/2025 on October 25 under Sections 108, 271, 272, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, naming Potom as the prime accused. Investigators traced his mobile phone, which was later found to be in the possession of a domestic helper. Police determined that Potom had swapped his SIM card before leaving home.

Meanwhile, claims that Potom was HIV-positive have been refuted. A medical test conducted on October 24, 2025, at DJ Drugs & Diagnostic Laboratory, Bage Tinali, Nirjuli, confirmed that the officer tested negative for HIV.