Unable to clear debt, terminated teacher kills self in Tripura

Agartala: Amidst the ongoing indefinite sit-in demonstration launched by the terminated 10,323 teachers, the death toll continues to rise.

Uttam Tripura (32) died by suicide due to stress and mental trauma. He was among the retrenched teachers from Kamal Kanta Para under the Belonia sub-division of Tripura’s South district, around 89KM from the capital.

Tripura is one of 79 teachers who have lost their lives in the last six years. Torn between a tough legal war with the state and a constant battle to provide for their families, some teachers have died by suicide, while most have succumbed to heart diseases triggered by trauma and stress.

In September 2020, Partha Majumder (42) from Matri Pally area in North Badharghat area died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest triggered by stress and mental trauma.

According to reports, Uttam Tripura had huge debts and was under depression after failing to make ends meet for his family members. He is survived by his wife and two children.

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His wife Shefali tried to end her life by jumping into her husband’s funeral pyre, but relatives rescued her.

Speaking with reporters, Shefali said that after losing the job on Mach 31, they were having a tough time running the house.

“We had a huge loan and to pay the amount I had to sell my ornaments. (But) we were living a happy life amidst the problems. I have two children. Now how will we survive? He could not pay the loan amount and was frustrated since the last few days,” Shefali said.

The PR Bari police station has registered a case of unnatural death based on the deceased’s wife’s complaint, said Belonia Sub-divisional police officer Soumya Debbarma.

“We are investigating the cause of death. The family was informed that he had debt and was depressed since the last few days. It is also learned that the deceased was at home while his family members were celebrating the new year party,” Debbarma said.

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A group of teachers from Agartala met the deceased’s family and brought his mortal remains to the protest site.

Kamal Deb, one of the agitating teachers in Agartala, told EastMojo, “We cannot see one after another teacher dying this way due to the ignorance of the state government. They have to pay for every single death of teachers. We want the state government to solve the issue immediately or else the agitation will intensify across the state.”

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