A 55-year-old contract worker of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) killed himself on Saturday over alleged salary dues.
Soman, a hand receipt employee associated with the KWA for the last 25 years, was found dead at his workplace near the shutters of Peppara dam on Sunday morning.
In a letter he wrote prior to his death, Soman cited extreme financial crisis and salary dues from KWA as reasons for his suicide.
“Family members realised he was missing by around 8 pm on Saturday night. His friends and family went searching for him all night and at 9 am on Sunday, his body was found near the shutters of the Peppara dam where he works. He was engaged in opening and closing the shutters of the dam and that’s where he decided to end his life,” says Shashikumar, secretary of the KWA contract employees union.
Contract employees are paid a daily wage of Rs 350 by the Kerala Water Authority for their services. According to Shashikumar, Soman hadn’t received his salary from KWA in 3 months.
“Recently, he received a month’s salary but that went in paying loans. He was struggling to make ends meet. He asked for his dues to be paid but the company was taking its own time,” he adds.
Not just Soman, Shashikumar alleged that over 7,000 contract employees across Kerala employed by the KWA have pending salary dues and are struggling for survival.
“The company does not pay its contract employees promptly, unless there is ministerial level intervention. It’s a big lobby,” Shashikumar alleges.
50-year-old Soman was a resident of Vithura in Sasthamkavu, Thiruvananthapuram. He is survived by his wife and two children aged 26 and 22.
His postmortem was done at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital on Sunday after which his mortal remains were handed over to the family for final rites.
Protest against KWA
The incident has sparked massive outrage by contract labourers against the unfair treatment meted out to them.
On Monday, over 100 contract labourers under the Aruvikara division of KWA will hold a protest march to the executive engineer’s office.
“Following this, we will also be visiting the MD’s office (Jalbhavan) in Thiruvananthapuram and sitting in protest against the salary delays. The management has to take action and rectification measures against what has happened,” Shashikumar adds.
The Vithura police have registered a case following the suicide and are investigating the reasons for Soman’s death.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers:
Tamil Nadu:
State health department suicide helpline number - 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in TN
Telangana:
Telangana government suicide prevention toll free no - 104
Roshni- 040-66202000, 6620200SEVA- 09441778290, 040 - 27504682 (between 9 AM and 7 PM)
Karnataka:
Sahai : 24-hour helpline numbers: 080- 65000111, 080-65000222
Kerala:
Maithri helpline - 0484-2540530
Chaithram helpline: 0484-2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Andhra Pradesh:
Life Suicide Prevention Helpline No.78930-78930
Roshni Helpline 1: 9166202000 Helpline 2: 9127848584