JOIN USFacing financial crisis due to lockdown, auto driver kills self
The two-and-a-half-month lockdown is now taking its toll with more and more suicide cases being reported of late.
One such suicide incident came to light on Sunday when an autorickshaw driver Pradeep Kumar hanged himself in his house where he stayed with his wife and two children here in the state capital.
Pradeep’s father Vijay Singh, in his statement to the police, has said that his son was facing an extreme financial crisis due to lockdown since March-end.
“He was under depression ever since he faced financial crisis due to lockdown. He hanged himself before anyone could get an inkling about it,” said the distraught father.
Last month, a young couple in Bihar committed suicide after they failed to repay their loan due to extended lockdown. The tragic incident took place in Vaishali district where a 35-year-old businessman Ramesh Shah hanged himself shortly after his wife Suman set herself on fire and died.
The couple had borrowed a loan of Rs 5 lakh to hire a truck. The heavy motor vehicle was used for commercial purposes and helped the couple eke out their livelihood. Suman, through her earnings from the truck, used to repay the instalment of her loan.
However, ever since the lockdown came into force on March 24, her commercial activities took a nosedive. The ban on plying of vehicles (during lockdown) only added to her woes. So much so that the couple faced acute hardship in running their household.
In the meantime, lenders mounted pressure for early repayment of the loan.
With no money to pay the loan instalment, Suman and Ramesh had a verbal altercation.
In a fit of rage, Suman set herself on fire. The husband made his best efforts to rescue her but Suman, by then, had received 90 per cent burn injuries. She succumbed while being rushed to the hospital. Shocked over his wife’s death, Ramesh hanged himself to death.
The couple has left behind two kids, Prince (10) and Sunny (7).