An alleged suicide by the son of a government school teacher in south Kashmir’s Kulgam, whose salary was stopped after the police submitted an “adverse report” against him in 2019 for being a militant in 1990s, on Sunday evoked sharp reactions from political parties, wherein they demanded action against the officials.
A video in which the victim, aged 24, purportedly explained the reason behind taking the extreme step, went viral in the past 24 hours.
“I sacrifice my life for all the teachers who have not been paid for the last two years. I can’t tell you how much trouble I have had to this day, which is why I was forced to take this step today,” the victim is heard saying in the video.
The police said it has registered a case under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. “An investigation is on in the case,” the police said.
Official sources said the salary of the victim’s father, a teacher at the Government Primary School Avail, Kulgam, was stopped in March 2019 after a verification report, ordered by the administrative department, was submitted as “adverse”. Police sources said the victim’s father was a militant in the 1990s, when an armed rebellion broke out in the Valley.
Hundreds of government employees are under the scanner of security agencies in Kashmir. Sources said there is a “tight spotlight” on released and surrendered militants working in government departments.
Jammu & Kashmir’s political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the J&K Apni Party (JKAP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), have reacted sharply to the incident.
“A man sacrificed his life to highlight the plight of teachers like his father, whose salaries have been stopped since 2018. The J&K administration should be held accountable for his death and plunging such families into dire straits. Hope the new Chief Secretary (CS) adopts a more humane approach unlike his predecessor,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami demanded a time-bound probe and fixing of responsibility into the incident. “Even if reports of his father being a former militant are true, it should have been verified before he entered into service. If somebody has shunned the path of violence 20 years back and returned to the mainstream, he should be allowed to live peacefully,” Mr. Tarigami said.
He added that he hoped the J&K Lieutenant-Governor would order a probe and “bring the officers to book whose lackadaisical approach forced the youth to take his life”.
“If there are more such employees whose salaries have been withheld on flimsy grounds, it is imperative upon the government to release it without any further delay,” he added.
JKAP president Altaf Bukhari termed the incident “extremely disturbing”. “It depicts an appalling picture of the level of mental stress and trauma of the families whose salaries have been withheld by an apathetic bureaucratic set-up even in the pressing times of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope the incident acts as an eye-opener and a wake-up call for the government,” Mr. Bukhari said.
He also demanded strict action against those officials “whose impervious attitude resulted in this sad incident”. “All those teachers whose salaries have been withheld due to some frivolous reasons must not be allowed to suffer. I appeal to the present dispensation to adopt a humanitarian approach and refrain from adding to the already existing alienation among masses,” he added.
Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-4076 9002 (10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., Monday-Saturday).
