Govt school teacher in Delhi critical after ‘suicide’ attempt

A 45-year-old government school mathematics teacher, who was also serving as a booth level officer (BLO) for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, allegedly attempted suicide on Wednesday

A 45-year-old government school mathematics teacher, who was also serving as a booth level officer (BLO) for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, allegedly attempted suicide on Wednesday. A note recovered from him cited work pressure, police said.

A note recovered from him cited work pressure, police said (Shutterstock)

The teacher is undergoing treatment at a city hospital and remains critical, police said.

Employed at a government senior secondary school run by the Directorate of Education in north Delhi, the teacher, who suffers from asthma, sustained serious injuries. “He is likely to survive, but the incident could leave him with long-term complications such as paralysis or permanent disability,” his 55-year-old brother-in-law said.

Police said they received information about the incident at around 3pm and rushed to the spot, following which he was taken to hospital. During the preliminary inquiry, investigators learnt that he had allegedly been under work-related stress.

Officials familiar with the matter said he had recently been assigned duties linked to the SIR exercise.

In the note, he wrote that work pressure had become overwhelming, his health was deteriorating and that he was taking the decision himself.

Speaking to HT, his 40-year-old wife, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, said he supervised 10 BLOs and had to accompany one of them while simultaneously monitoring the movements and work of the other nine.

“He had to keep checking whether they had reached on time. He had to accompany one BLO himself and travel throughout the day. He was already suffering from asthma, which made his condition worse,” she said.

According to her, he had been under immense pressure and his oxygen levels had been fluctuating over the past three to four days. She alleged that he had informed two of his seniors about his condition and submitted a medical certificate stating that his oxygen levels often dropped while travelling extensively for work. Despite this, she alleged, they reprimanded him and threatened to terminate his services.

HT contacted one of the officials named by the family, but he declined to comment.

The wife further alleged that her husband had told her his seniors abused and mocked him and warned that he would lose his job after he again sought relief from SIR duty on Wednesday.

“We will approach the court if the police do not listen to us, as some powerful people are involved. My husband is still scared to pursue the matter, but we will,” she said.

The incident has once again drawn attention to concerns over workplace stress among government employees, particularly those assigned additional administrative responsibilities alongside their regular duties.

Police said further investigation is underway and all aspects of the case are being examined.