Una Sadar SHO Darshan Singh said Dilshad was one of the contacts of a Tablighi Jamaat member who had returned from New Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

A 37-year-old man hanged himself to death in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district Sunday allegedly because he was facing “social boycott” by some villagers who suspected him of having contracted COVID-19, police said. The man had tested negative for coronavirus.

Mohammad Dilshad committed suicide under a shed at his residence in Una’s Bangarh village, a day after health officials dropped him at his village following his negative report, an officer said.

He was taken to a quarantine facility a few days ago, where he tested negative for the disease.

Una Sadar SHO Darshan Singh said Dilshad was one of the contacts of a Tablighi Jamaat member who had returned from New Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

Commenting on it, DGP Sita Ram Mardi said, “Some villagers pointed out that this man was a suspected COVID-19 patient. He was quarantined and tested negative for the infection. When he returned to his village, he was discriminated against and socially boycotted by villagers. At this, he committed suicide.”

However, the SHO told PTI that the matter of him being discriminated against or socially boycotted by villagers was being investigated.

Meanwhile, the DGP urged people to maintain social distancing (to check the spread of COVID-19), which “does not mean social discrimination”.

Urging the people to maintain harmony, the DGP said”such behaviour is not good” .