'GO TO HELL': Suicide note names BJP's Guwahati Central candidate of driving local businessman to death

A handwritten note purportedly left behind by Guwahati-based businessman from Kerala, Sijo Jacob, who died in a Shillong hotel room in early 2024, has resurfaced online — directly naming Vijay Gupta, the BJP's candidate for Guwahati Central in the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections, as the reason for his death.

The note, addressed to "Mr Vijay Gupta, Assam BJP" and even including Gupta's mobile number, opens in block letters: "TAKE THIS AS MY SUICIDE NOTE. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY TODAY'S LIFE SITUATION AND MY REASON FOR DEATH."

Jacob, 47, checked into room 206 of Hotel Assembly in Shillong's Khyndailad area on February 28, 2024. Hotel staff raised the alarm after he failed to leave his room for several days. Police entered with witnesses and found his body on the bed. Blood stains were observed near his mouth. Preliminary investigations pointed to a possible overdose of sedatives and anti-depressants, though no foul play was established.

The letter, now circulating widely, tells a story of alleged financial betrayal centred on an Aadhaar-linked government project. Writing "with a heavy heart, brimming with disappointment and righteous anger," Jacob alleged that approximately Rs 1.20 crore collected from investors for EMD and PBG purposes was deposited into the accounts of a firm called Galaxy Scales & Systems Pvt. Ltd. — brought into the project through Gupta's relative Rajendra Gupta — while investors were never paid what they were owed.

"Your financial contribution to this project was nothing prior to work order," Jacob wrote pointedly, accusing Gupta of having no stake in the venture before moving to take it over. "You, the puppeteer, pulled strings, danced on my vulnerability, and left me gasping for air while you danced a shameless victory dance."

Jacob further alleged that Silver Touch Technologies Ltd. was used to orchestrate the sidelining of him and other "rightful players" so that the entire project's financial proceeds could be pocketed. Despite a promised 25 per cent share in profits, he wrote, "my promised share remained a cruel illusion."

The letter's closing lines swing between a plea and a curse. Appealing to authorities, Jacob wrote: "I implore you — take proper enquiry and return the money to the deserved people who invested their time and money in the Aadhaar project. Let truth prevail."

He then addressed Gupta directly one last time: "Vijay Ji, hear this: if curses held power, yours would echo through SEVEN GENERATIONS. But, I relinquish vengeance to a higher force — GOD."

The letter ends with two words, underlined by despair and rage: "GO TO HELL!" — followed by his signature, a thumbprint, and the date: 27/02/2024.

Jacob, originally from Thrissur in Kerala, had lived in Guwahati for over 15 years. He had run an IT training centre in Naharlapur before moving to Guwahati in 2008, where he founded digital ventures including Fit Northeast and East Echo, and was previously associated with the now-defunct business magazine Business Northeast. He held a Master's degree in Computer Applications.

The note's renewed circulation comes at a politically sensitive moment — Gupta is the sitting BJP candidate for Guwahati Central ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. India Today NE reached out to Vijay Gupta for a response to the allegations made in the note, but received no reply at the time of publication.