On Saturday, a 53-year-old driver of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) allegedly committed suicide in Telangana’s Nalgonda, making it the third worker to take his life amid an indefinite strike.
According to Hindustan Times, The deceased has been identified as 53-year-old Venkateshwarlu a TSRTC driver. However, police have registered the case as that of suspicious death. Before Venkateshwarlu, two other workers have killed themselves during this month. A 46-year-old conductor committed suicide in Hyderabad on October 13 and another succumbed to burn injuries after he set himself ablaze in Khammam district.
More than 49,000 employees and workers unions of TSRTC began an indefinite strike from October 5 across Telangana, demanding RTC’s merger with the government and recruitment to various posts, among others.
KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said over 48,000 employees dismissed themselves by not joining the duty before the expiry of deadline. He threatened to deal firmly with those trying to disrupt TSRTC bus services with the help of temporary employees.
He also asked officials to recruit more drivers and conductors on temporary basis and hire more private buses. The strike took political overtone with the entire opposition extending their support. JAC has been staging protests across the state. It also called a state-wide shutdown last week. The strike witnessed suicide by two employees, while some others died of cardiac arrest, allegedly due to depression caused by the loss of job and non-receipt of salary.
