A day after a 27-year-old bus conductor was found dead on the railway tracks near Sarai Rohilla, his family and co-workers alleged that the deceased’s manager had been harassing him.

A note left behind by the deceased, Hari Darshan, also blamed the depot manager of harassment.

“The depot manager has troubled me. I committed a mistake for which I apologised but no one listened to me. The manager is the reason behind my step,” read the note. Hari’s family said that he had been working as a conductor for the past eight years.

“The depot manager has been harassing and troubling every conductor ever since he came three years ago. He gives targets that are extremely difficult to achieve and then if we do not complete it, he threatens to fire us. He also uses foul and humiliating language,” said a bus conductor, adding that the manager had forcibly taken written resignations from employees he had threatened and harassed.

Talking about the mistake mentioned in Hari’s note, the co-worker said that a day before Holi, Hari, who was on the Karampura-Harsh Vihar route, had come to the depot earlier than his usual time for which he was scolded by the manager.

‘He shouted at Hari’

“It was Holi time, there were hardly any passengers as a lot of people in the city had gone back to their villages. Since there was little rush, he came early. He was shouted at for that. Hari also apologised,” he added.

The co-workers said that the manager would ask them to get ₹10,000 from one route and if they couldn’t, he would ask them to pay . “We cannot force people to get on the bus,” he said.

The deceased’s brother Ram Darshan said that Hari left home on Thursday at his usual time after giving medicine to his father.

Ram said his brother was “absolutely normal” when he left the house.

Co-workers said that Hari received a call from the manager to come to his office. The manager then allegedly scolded Hari.

“It was after that meeting that he went to end his life,” said a conductor who did not wish to be named.

The deceased’s family said that Hari was the sole breadwinner. He is survived by his parents, wife, a four-year-old daughter and a three-month-old son.

Hari’s co-workers and kin staged a protest on Friday demanding compensation.

Suicide prevention helpline: Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health, 011-4076 9002, Monday-Saturday (10 a.m.-7.30 p.m.)