Jamshedpur, April 18: A 45-year-old man, who was in financial distress after being dismissed from service by Tata Motors around five months ago, committed suicide by hanging himself at his quarters (K2-2) in Telco Colony this morning.
Yatinder Kumar, who was a permanent employee of Tata Motors foundry department since 1995, was sacked in November last year for chronic alcoholism and absenteeism. After losing his job, Yatinder, who had to provide for his mother, wife and two school-going children, slipped into depression as he struggled to make ends meet, his family members said.
He had even approached Telco Workers' Union to persuade the company management to take him back, but in vain.
"His depression became acute after his son Raja (a student of Class X) and daughter Reena (Class VII) had to discontinue their studies at Vig English School in March as he could not pay their fees. He had gone to Sambalpur, his native place in Odisha, to arrange money but failed. This could have prompted him to take the drastic step," said Kishore Mukhi, the deceased's elder brother.
This morning, Yatinder had a word with his son and after the latter left the house, he hanged himself from an iron rod with the help of a nylon wire. His wife, Anjana Devi (41), found him hanging around 9.30am and alerted neighbours, who informed Telco police.
A police team rushed to the house and brought Yatinder down, but he was dead by then. The body was sent to MGM Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.
"The company should give his wife a job on sympathy grounds. He was the sole earning member of the family. We will speak to the company management," said D.D. Tripathy, a neighbour and union leader.
Telco officer-in-charge Kameshwar Pandey said they had lodged a suicide case and were probing the family's claims. "Although no one has lodged a written complaint, we are investigating the reasons of his dismissal from service. As of now, a case of unnatural death has been lodged," Pandey added.
Tata Motors spokesperson Ranjit Dhar confirmed that the deceased was dismissed from service for chronic alcoholism and staying absent from work without permission. He ruled out any compensatory job for the deceased's widow. "There is no provision for jobs on sympathetic grounds for a dismissed employee's relative," he added.
