In a tragic incident that shocked the city, Om Prakash Sahu (56 Years), Senior Sanitary Supervisor at Public Health Department, TSUISL, committed suicide by hanging himself in his office at 12 noon. This heartbreaking event has raised serious concerns about the pressures faced by employees within the organisation.
Omprakash Sahu, who worked in Workers Flat No. 102, Golmuri, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his office on Monday afternoon. Prior to the incident, he had reportedly asked his colleagues to go out for lunch. Upon their return, they discovered his lifeless body and immediately alerted the authorities.
A suicide note was recovered from the scene, in which Sahu detailed the overwhelming workload that had pushed him to this drastic step. The note revealed his struggle with managing responsibilities for four clusters: Agrico, Sidhgora, and Old and New Baridih along with Baridih EMC. He expressed that despite raising concerns with his superiors, no relief was provided. Sahu's note poignantly described his four-month battle with stress and the lack of support, despite discussions with colleagues and management.
"I am very stressed due to the burden of workload in my office. I have been given the responsibility of four clusters... I am not able to work with so much workload. I have also talked to my chief and subordinates... but no solution was found. I have been very troubled since the last four months... Because of this I am leaving this world," Sahu wrote in his final message.
The incident has triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for action. Raghunath Pandey, President of Jusco Shramik Union, visited the site and expressed his sorrow. He promised to engage with management to discuss compensation for Sahu’s family and to address the underlying issues of excessive workload. Former District President of BJP, Dinesh Kumar, also arrived at the scene, demanding an investigation and immediate support for the deceased's family. He emphasized the necessity of probing the circumstances leading to Sahu’s suicide and ensuring that such an incident does not recur.
This tragic event has put the spotlight on the mental health and well-being of employees at Tata Steel UISL. The company's management has yet to release an official statement, but the incident has undeniably highlighted the critical need for better support systems and workload management within the organization.
Meanwhile, a press communiqué issued by the company said: “ We are sorry to inform about the unfortunate demise of Om Prakash Sahu (56 Years), Senior Sanitary Supervisor at Public Health Department, TSUISL. Today at around 12:00 noon, his body was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his Golmuri office. The police have been informed and an investigation is on. The body of the deceased has been sent for postmortem. TSUISL is providing all support to the investigating agencies. The company is with the aggrieved family and is providing all support as per company policy. As a responsible corporate, TSUISL is committed to the safety and well-being of all its stakeholders”.
