Blaming state’s lockdown policy, Kerala hotel owner dies by suicide

In a social media post, he said his hotel business was doing relatively well but the pandemic- induced lockdown broke him totally. In the note he said he took many loans from banks and private financiers and in the present scenario it was quite impossible to repay these liabilities.

A hotel owner in central Kerala allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, after writing a detailed post on social media in which he squarely blamed the government’s lockdown norms. His body was found on the railway tracks and he reportedly posted the message hours before his suicide, police said.

During the second wave of Covid-19 infections, the Kerala government had regularly imposed lockdown in the state to curb the spread of infection and to bring down the rising number of cases. (Image used for representation). (HT PHOTO.)

In a social media post, he said his hotel business was doing relatively well but the pandemic- induced lockdown broke him totally. In the note he said he took many loans from banks and private financiers and in the present scenario it was quite impossible to repay these liabilities. He blamed the government for his death.

“You can have hundreds of people in the mall and many in liquor outlets. Buses and marriage halls run with maximum capacity. If more than ten people sit in the hotel the owner will be hauled up. The government’s lockdown policy is quite unscientific and arbitrary,” he said in the note. In the touching note he also said his youngest son was afflicted with autism “and he has every right to live like any other child of his age”. In the note he also asked philanthropists and others to extend a helping hand to his wife and two children.

At the end of his note he also made a strange request. “Police officers who recover my phone kindly entrust it to my daughter because she has online classes.” He was perhaps referring to a recent incident in which a police officer was suspended for keeping the phone of a suicide victim whose body was found on the railway tracks. During investigation it was found that the police officer was using the smart phone after changing its SIM card.

(Suicide is not a solution. Please contact helpline nos: 1056 and 0471-2552056) .