3 give up on life, 2 were facing financial straits

Times News Network
Ludhiana: Three suicides were reported in Ludhiana in the past 24 hours.
In the first case, a 26-year-old man ended his life at his house in New Kuldeep Nagar, Rahon Road, on Sunday. Sameer was upset as he had lost his job following the lockdown. He was the lone breadwinner of his family comprising his wife and a 2-year-old daughter.
His mother Surinder Kaur said, “Sameer was a daily wager. He was depressed after losing his job. Early on Sunday, he hanged himself from a ceiling fan at his house.”
Jodhewal SHO sub-inspector Arshpreet Kaur Grewal said the police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.
In another case, a 35-year-old resident of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Jamalpur, consumed a poisonous substance at his house. Pankaj Kumar Sharma, a factory worker, was depressed as he was unable to pay his house rent and electricity bills after being sacked.
His wife, Pooja Sharma, said in her police complaint, “We have been living in a rented accommodation from the past few years. Due to lockdown, my husband was home. We had limited money to run the house. But our landlord, Vishal Sethi, was pressuring us to pay the electricity bill and the house rent of two months. A few days ago, he came to our house along with an unidentified man and threatened to throw us out if we failed to clear the dues. Disturbed over it, my husband consumed a poisonous substance on June 6. He was admitted to a hospital, where he died on Saturday evening.”
Jamalpur police station ASI Harjinder Singh said, “Pankaj had lost his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have booked their landlord, a resident of Jamalpur, under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.”
In the third case, a 20-year-old man hanged himself to death at his house in Jawahar Nagar on Saturday. His kin said Des Raj had an affair with his neighbour, but her family was against it. As the woman’s brother and father harassed and threatened him, he took the extreme step, they added.
ASI Tarlochan Singh said, “While the family of Des Raj, who worked at a shop in Old City, had agreed to their marriage, the woman’s kin opposed it. Des Raj tried to convince them, but in vain. The woman’s father and brother used to threaten Des Raj, asking him to stay away from her. This drove Des Raj to suicide. The two accused were arrested on Sunday.”