HUMAN COST: SUICIDE RISES AMONG BANKERS AMID WORK PRESSURE

On 2 February, Siyaram Prasad, who was posted as Chief Manager with Union Bank at its Junagadh branch, committed suicide by hanging himself from the first floor of the same building where the branch is located.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Prasad, who was originally from Uttar Pradesh, was transferred to Junagadh in May 2021, was under tremendous pressure from his seniors to achieve the loan disbursal target that was given to him. His suicide note that was shared with The Sunday Guardian, has revealed how he was working against all odds and trying to meet impossible targets.

His last letter ended with the request to the bank Managing Director to release his pension to his wife and give her a job so that his children did not suffer on account of his death.

The post of Chief Manager is a relatively senior post and it generally takes 15-18 years of experience and at least eight-ten different transfers to reach the position in a Public Sector Undertaking bank. By the time a banker reaches that position, he is well versed with the pull and push that comes with the job and the fact that Prasad ended his life on account of the work pressure that he was facing reveals the extent of stress he must have undergone before tying the noose around his neck and jumping off. His friends told The Sunday Guardian that he had stopped talking to his wife, children and parents since the last few days and was communicating with them through his friends, ostensibly to break the emotional cord he had with his family members indicating that he had decided to end his life much before he did.

Prasad's is not a lone case. Instances of bankers ending their lives due to work pressures tied to unrealistic targets and hostile bosses abound.