Lockdown separation drives man to suicide

Depressed over business losses and isolation, he drives down to woman’s house in Basavanagudi, hangs himself when her husband was not at home

The extended lockdown and its pressures proved too much for a 35-year-old married businessman, who ended up driving all the way to Basavanagudi from his house in LB Shastri Nagar, and committing suicide at the house of his acquaintance. The man, Shivanesan, is said to have been depressed that his travel business was completely shut due to the lockdown. The Basavanagudi police suspect the man could have taken the extreme step as he was enraged that his acquaintance, who is also married, had distanced herself from him during the lockdown.
Shivanesan, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, used to run a travel business and was a resident of LB Shastri Nagar in HAL area. He is married and the couple have two daughters, a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. He met the woman and her husband during an event. As the couple and Shivanesan were both into financing, they got talking and became friends.

Double blow
The lockdown had anyway been a mental blow for Shivanesan as his travel business was completely shut. On top of that he had no chance to meet his friends and the woman who had distanced herself from him. She would not talk to him on the phone too. Sources said that May 9 was Shivanesan’s birthday and when the woman did not wish him on that day, it came as a last straw for him.

He decided to confront her on Tuesday morning. He drove to her house in Basavanagudi around 7 am and met her. There were heated arguments between Shivanesan and the woman. The woman’s husband was not in the house at the time and she did not think that Shivanesan would do anything extreme at her home.

But he did.

He hung himself with a piece of cloth. He could have locked himself in one of the rooms, but there is no confirmation on that. The shocked woman called her husband up and they took Shivanesan to the KIMS hospital, but it was too late.


The woman and her husband informed the police. The Basavanagudi police have taken up a case of unnatural death and are recording the couple’s statements to understand what led to the suicide.”Prima facie it is a case of suicide. The victim had partially hanged and there is a striation mark. Though postmortem is complete, the report is awaited,” said a senior police officer.