Suyog Deshmukh, who consumed insecticide, was one of the 99 workers recently asked to leave by the Andheri bank in a
recessionary cut-back.
Recession almost claimed another life on Saturday. Suyog Deshmukh, 27, tried to end his life by consuming insecticide at 8.45am in Sakinaka, Andheri. Deshmukh, who survived, is a resident of Naigaon, Dadar, and used to work in the credit card department of the ICICI Bank branch at Chandivali, whose operations were outsourced to an agency called Delta. Suyog, along with 99 of his colleagues, was recently sacked and asked to serve out a notice period till July 13.
Following Suyog’s suicide bid, some 100 employees protested in front of the Chandivali branch on Saturday morning. “We are protesting because our friend’s life is in danger because of the cruelty of the top officials of Delta. At the same time, we want our demands to be met,” said employee Sachindra Gaware.
The sacked employees wanted a the three-month advance on their salary and their annual bonus, but the bank was not committing to this, said Vijendra Hiravle, a colleague of Suyog. He added: “On Saturday morning, when Suyog reached office by 8.30, he found he was denied entry and his access card was blocked. Bank officials also insulted him, making him want to kill himself.” Suyog was taken to Paramount Hospital by bank officials, and is now said to be out of danger and under observation for 24 hours.
According to Suyog’s father Janardhan Deshmukh, 52, Suyog had apparently given the bank time till Thursday to respond to the employees’ demands. “Suyog left home around
7.30am on an empty stomach. He decided to end his life when he didn’t get a response to his demands from the bank. He told me about the incident in hospital today,” Janardhan said.
Bank officials claim Suyog was already serving a notice period for the last two months. “Suyog was asking us to allow him to work for two additional months. In any case, Delta is the agency responsible for the hiring and firing of employees; ICICI Bank has no role in this. These people are not the employees of ICICI,” said a top ICICI official.
Suyog is the only earning member in his five-member family. His older brother suffers from schizophrenia, and his father used to be a mill worker earning a meagre salary. Suyog’s salary of Rs8,500 was the mainstay of the family. “Lots of money is required for my elder son’s treatment,” said Janardhan. “My elder son is always suffering because of the disease, and now I can’t see my other son die in front of me,” said Suyog’s mother Shubhangi Deshmukh, 42.
Sakinaka police found a suicide note from Suyog in which he held Gurpreet Gulati, zonal credit manager, and Sachitra Sinha, junior manager, responsible for his suicide attempt. “We called up the duo for interrogation but no case has been registered in the matter yet,” said BB Rathod, senior police inspector. The police, however, claims only 40 employees were sacked. When contacted, however, Gulati refused to comment on the matter.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}