Please reach out to your local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs if you feel suicidal or know someone who is distressed.
A trader in Uttar Pradesh went on Facebook live on Tuesday and took poison, blaming heavy losses, in a disturbing video that has gone viral ahead of polls in the state. Rajiv Tomar, a shoe trader survived but his wife died.
In the chilling video, Rajiv Tomar, 40, tears open a sachet and swallow its contents as his wife tries to stop him. She even tries to make him spit it out before moving out of the frame. 38-year-old Poonam Tomar allegedly took poison after she failed to stop her husband from taking it.
“I think I have the freedom to speak,” the man says in the video. “I will pay the debts I have. Even if I die, I will pay. But I request everyone to please share this video as much as possible. I am not anti-national but I have faith in the country.”
“But I want to tell Modi-Ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi), you are not a well-wisher of small traders and farmers. Change your policies.”
The shoe trader complains that GST (Goods and Services Tax) had hit his business. Those watching them live on Facebook called the police, who took them to the hospital. Rajiv is in critical condition, but his wife died.
The effect of pandemic
A father of two, Rajiv had reportedly been in financial trouble for some time. Just a day before attempting suicide, he had posted a photo with his two sons, 15 and 11.
His stunned relatives say they never realized he was in crisis. “He was a very jolly person. It now appears that he was dealing with depression. But he never told us that he was facing any issues. He was in fact the person who solved other people’s problems,” his uncle told a local media outlet. But other traders who operated near Rajiv’s showroom admitted that the pandemic had badly affected business.
On his Facebook profile, Tomar used to share posts supporting the BJP. He is seen in photographs with several BJP leaders. But neighbors said he had no official affiliation with the party. The two-minute video has been commented on widely and has drawn reactions from politicians.
The uncertainty brought on by the pandemic has had a profound impact on people’s mental health. Millions of people have lost their jobs; some have lost their homes and even businesses.
Not only has it led to increased feelings of anxiety and depression, but also an increase in the suicide rate. A businessman committed suicide over loss in business in Karachi earlier. In a similar incident, a man committed suicide due to unemployment during the lockdown.
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