An autorickshaw driver under financial duress because of the lockdown allegedly committed suicide in Patna district. His family members alleged that he was frustrated over his failure to make ends meet.

Pradeep Kumar, 25, a resident of Jaganpura Shahpur under Gopalpur police station in the district, hanged himself from the ceiling fan with a bedsheet in his room in the early hours of Sunday.

His family members found him hanging in the morning and took him to Patna Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

“My son used to drive an autorickshaw to eke out a living. The lockdown led to the stoppage of public transport vehicles and he could not ply his vehicle to ferry passengers. His earnings stopped completely,” Pradeep’s father Vijay Kumar Singh said.

Vijay Kumar Singh, who earlier did odd jobs and stopped after his son started earning, said that Pradeep tried to work as a labourer, but was unable to get any work. The situation persisted even after the lockdown norms were relaxed from June 1.

“Pradeep had taken a loan to buy his own auto and had been unable to pay the instalments for the last three months. We could see that he was worried. We tried to console him, but it did not help because he could see that we were also suffering. It made him sadder,” Vijay Kumar Singh added.

He said that Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi sent officials with 25kg of food grains for the family.

“It’s too little and too late. My son will not come back. The government should have helped the poor and affected people like us with both money and food. It would have perhaps saved him from death,” Vijay Kumar Singh said.

When contacted, Ravi said: “I got information about the suicide yesterday (Monday) and sent some people to provide food grains to the family.”

Asked whether the death was due to financial duress caused by the lockdown, Ravi said: “We cannot say that lockdown was a reason for his death. We have not probed it, nor anybody from the victim’s family has demanded it.”

The suicide has again put spotlight on the immense hardships suffered by labourers and daily wage earners due to the lockdown.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is already facing heat from the Opposition for not arranging alternative employment for those who lost their jobs.