A 20-year-old son of an auto-rickshaw driver, who used to work in an auto ancillary supplying to Tata Motors but had been benched for about a month, committed suicide by setting himself on fire on Thursday.
Neighbours described Prabhat Nath as someone who had a host of family problems, but kept to himself. His uncle said he was depressed and had attempted suicide on two other occasions.
“His suspension by Imperial Auto Industries at Govindpur on July 11 was the final nail in the coffin,” the uncle, who did not want to be named, said, alluding to the recent slowdown in the auto industry that has rendered lakhs jobless.
Imperial Auto Industries supplies auto components to Tata Motors that has opted for at least three block closures this year, shutting down its Jamshedpur plant for two days in June, nine days in July and four days in August.
Eyewitness Bittu Kumar said he spotted Prabhat at 11.30am near his house at Kailash Nagar under Burmamines thana on Thursday.
“I rushed out of my house after hearing a groan. Prabhat was sitting near my house. His face was black and his hair charred. He said he did not want to live anymore. I called my father and we rushed Prabhat to Tata Main Hospital,” he said.
Prabhat’s uncle, who also resides at Kailash Nagar, said his nephew was depressed for the past three years during which he had tried to take his own life twice.
He said Prabhat led a lonely life and used to cook his own meals despite living with his father and step-mother, with whom he did not seem to have a cordial relationship.
Prabhat’s father Tarak Nath is a former Tata Steel employee and currently operates an auto-rickshaw.
“We are shocked over the incident. I had got him admitted to NTTF (Nettur Technical Training Foundation) at Golmuri and later at the Govindpur-based firm to gather experience so that he could get a job in some big company,” Nath said.
Burmamines OC Ram Yash Prasad said it was a case of suicide. “We have taken the statements of the deceased’s father and neighbours in Kailash Nagar.”
Prabhat had done his matriculation from BPM High School at Bumamines in 2017 and first year of intermediate from ABM College in Golmuri before joining NTTF to train as a fitter under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
“Prabhat got a temporary job at the Govindpur company in February. He was rendered jobless along with several other workers of the unit after block closures in Tata Motors. However, becoming jobless was not the only reason behind his death,” another relative of the deceased, who lives in Burmamines, said.
Abhishek Kumar Thakur, a close friend of Prabhat, said he wasn’t the kind of person to commit suicide after losing his job.
“He was ambitious. He was also preparing for his higher secondary examination scheduled in February next year. He was disturbed over family problems. His mother had also committed suicide by setting herself on fire about 15 years ago,” he said.
