A teacher of a government higher primary school, who was also a booth-level officer (BLO), at Balur in Shikaripur taluk of Karnataka, died by suicide in his classroom on January 13. He took the extreme step because of the work pressure, according to his family members.
Around 11.30 a.m., Dhananjay, 50, sent all his students out of the classroom to play in the ground, stating that he had some paperwork. Later, he locked up the room from inside. As he did not open the room for a long time, his colleagues and villagers broke open the door, and found him dead.
Dhananjay is survived by his wife Asha, and two daughters. In her statement to Shikaripur Rural police, Asha stated that her husband had complained of work pressure and expressed a wish to give up the job. However, she told him to continue the job, as it was necessary to provide good education for their children.
The teacher, who was travelling to the school from Honnali, had reached the village early in the morning to collect information from voters as a BLO.
Shikaripur Rural police have registered an unnatural death report.
