A suicide letter to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was purportedly written by Porala Mahesh, 24, a ward volunteer in the 9th Municipal Ward of Rayadurg Municipality in the district, who allegedly committed suicide on Thursday, but it surfaced on social media on Saturday morning.
He highlighted the travails of ward volunteers, who get ₹5,000 per month as honorarium, which was insufficient to support a family or for his own living. He requested the Chief Minister to ensure other volunteers did not meet such a fate. He is survived by four sisters. In addition to the honorarium, he used to earn some money from tailoring, but during the pandemic, there was no work or income.
According to the police, Mahesh’s parents from the weaver community had died 10 years ago and he, however, took up tailoring to earn a living. He reportedly had taken some loans during his sisters’ marriages totalling ₹2 lakh and there was psychological pressure on him to repay them, the family members told the police.
The police said they were investigating the origin of the letter and if it was written by Mahesh. “We could not find any letter in his house while performing inquiry on Thursday when he was found hanging,” a police officer said. There is always someone to talk to at: 100; 9989819191 or reach over email: ananthapuramupolice@gmail.com
