Berhampur: Increasing financial crunch due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown reportedly drove a man to commit suicide at Berhampur. The Government Railway Police (GRP) recovered his body from the rail lines here late Sunday night.
The deceased was identified as Uttam Sahu, 24, son of Lokanath Sahu, of Dasagharia Sahi in Gosaninuagaon. He was an auto-rickshaw driver. Repeated shutdowns brought him immense miseries as he failed to get passengers.
His body was recovered from the rail lines behind the Saraswati Sishu Mandir in Gosaninuagaon. Preliminary inquiries suggested that Sahu might committed suicide after losing his livelihood due to the Covid-induced lockdown.
The body of the deceased was identified by his brother Amulya Sahu, GRP IIC Jyoti Prakash Nayak said Monday. Police registered a case and handed over the body to his kin after a post-mortem, he said.
Police said Sahu earned his living by working as an auto-rickshaw driver. However, he lost his livelihood after the government imposed repeated lockdowns and shutdowns in the state in view of the pandemic.
Ganjam is a COVID hotspot in the state and due to its increasing caseloads, the administration has doubled down on restrictions. This must have increased the distress of Sahu as he always worried over alternative means to earn a living but in vain. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns enforced by the government has dried up local income opportunities for people. Influx of a large number of migrants to state compounded the situations in Ganjam.
He was last seen at his home in the afternoon when he had his lunch and left home. Family members grew apprehensive after he failed to return by 10 pm. They searched for him in nearby locations but to no avail. Later, they learnt about his death from the GRP.
PNN
