Daily wager commits suicide in Ahmedabad

By Asik Banerjee

Just two days before he drank bathroom cleaner to end his life, 35-year-old Kanubhai had requested his younger sister, a fruit seller, to give him some fruits to sell. He had even asked for Rs 1,000 from his younger brother. Unable to earn a single penny, he eventually consumed the chemical on Wednesday, succumbing to its effect the next day.

An accidental death report has been filed by Gomtipur police. Investigating officer PSI Damor of Gomtipur police station said, "The deceased was unemployed and under severe stress due to the ongoing lockdown, because of which he took the extreme step."

As per available details, Kanubhai, a daily wager living in Mohanlal ni navi chali in Gomtipur, was unemployed since the imposition of lockdown. He lived with his wife and three children in a one-room residence. As he was out of work, his wife Geetaben was forced to go out to beg.

Satish, his younger brother living in the same locality, said, "Every day he would go and stand at the junction of the chali hoping someone would give him some work. I sell fruits for a living and he had asked for Rs 1,000 to start fruit selling business but even I don't have a regular income. On Wednesday he came to me said that he had consumed something. We immediately took him to Shardaben and from there he was referred to Civil, where he died on Thursday." He had even approached his sister Gita for fruits to sell. "I told him he would need a health card to sell fruits. I advised him to be at home as in lockdown he could not do anything. But I never expected him to take such a drastic step."

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