Indian ends life after being teased for wearing new Onam dress

An Indian painter hanged himself from the ceiling of his labour accommodation, after the unmarried man was allegedly teased about his new Onam dress and single marital status.

Shibu John (40) , who worked at an automobile garage in Al Qusais, Dubai, was found hanging from the ceiling of his accommodation in Sharjah Industrial Area 4.

The deceased hailed from Kundara, Kollam district of Kerala, was reportedly keen to return home after cancelling his visa.  The dead body will be repatriated for burial at his home, Cherupushpam. According to his family members, the man was found dead last Wednesday.

“On the day of Onam, he bought new pants, shirt and shoes. When he went to the garage to take his passport for national identity registration, he did not get his passport and was asked to work for the day,” said a relative.

"He was depressed about salary and about his marriage prospects. He had worked for the garage only 21 months and went on leave two times. He was asked to take leave for 15 days to cancel his visa, but later he resumed duty. He had Dh1,400 salary. He asked me for Dh700 to buy new clothes for Onam,” said the relative.

“He was depressed because some of his colleagues teased him, when he went to the garage wearing a new shirt, pants and shoes. They used to tease him about his bachelor status. His marriage plan was delayed as he was taking care of his family, especially his aged father who over 70 years now,” added the relative.

A company employee explained that Shibu's “passport was with the boss, who was not in the office. We could not give the passport for his national identity.”

The company's Public Relations Officer denied that the deceased worker had any labour-related issues and said that Shibu's salary was paid on time. "If there is any delay in giving salary, our account will be blocked in the Ministry of Labour. There was no issues and we don't know why he committed suicide. He has not left any suicide note complaining about his job."

Failed romance leads to suicide

Meanwhile, another Indian ended his life in Dubai following a romantic failure back home.

According to Indian social workers, another young Keralite was found dead in his apartment in Satwa and it is believed to be another suicide case.

“The Keralite was well settled in Pune, India and the reason for his death is not yet clear. We are processing his documents as requested by his relatives,” an Indian social worker told Emirates 24|7. He said the number of suicides by the Indian community members due to distress and psychological problem was checked for a brief period during Ramadan, but in the last fortnight, two more suicides have been reported. Earlier two suicides by distressed Indians were reported from Ras al Khaimah and Al Qouz in Dubai.

As the number of distressed Indians committing suicide in the region has been on the rise, many social and community organizations have been running awareness campaigns to prevent people from ending their own life. Indian Embassy and Indian Consulate in Dubai conduct regular awareness campaigns to prevent suicides, but there is no respite to the baffling phenomenon. A few months ago, a leading Indian social worker who used to work against suicide was found hanging from the cladding of a building under construction in Dhaid, Sharjah.

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