Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: A 42-year-old area manager at finance company in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide, citing pressure from senior officials to meet targets and threats of salary cuts. Tarun Saxena was found dead by his house help this morning, having locked his wife and two children in another room. Company has yet to respond to the allegations.
In a five-page note addressed to his wife, Saxena detailed the immense stress he faced over the past two months. He was responsible for collecting EMIs on loans in his area but struggled to meet targets due to various issues. He expressed fears of losing his job and mentioned repeated humiliation by his superiors. “I am very stressed about the future. I have lost the ability to think. I am leaving,” he wrote.
Saxena also mentioned that he and his colleagues had to pay for the EMIs they couldn’t collect. Despite raising these issues with his seniors multiple times, they were unwilling to listen. “I haven’t slept for 45 days. I have barely eaten. I am under a lot of stress. Senior managers are pressuring me to meet targets at any cost or leave the job,” he wrote.Also Read: 10 Signs Your Job Might Be Affecting Your Mental and Physical Health.
He assured that he had paid his children’s school fees for the year and apologised to his family members. “Please take care of Megha, Yatharth, and Peehu. Mom, Dad, I never asked for anything, but now I am. Please build a second floor so my family can live comfortably,” he wrote. He urged his children to study well and take care of their mother and asked relatives to ensure his family receives the insurance money.
Saxena named his superiors in the note and asked his family to file a police complaint against them, holding them responsible for his decision. His cousin, Gaurav Saxena, who lives nearby, said Tarun was under pressure to increase loan recoveries. “This morning at 6 a.m., his seniors put mental pressure on him during a video conference. They said he couldn’t do the job and should be fired. He named them in his suicide note,” Gaurav said.
Senior police officer Vinod Kumar Gautam said, “The suicide note mentions that his senior officials were pressuring him for targets. If we receive a complaint from the family, we will take action.”
Tarun Saxena’s suicide and his letter blaming his senior managers come amid a nationwide discussion on toxic work culture following the death of 26-year-old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil.Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Helpline Numbers:Tele Manas (Ministry of Health) – 14416 or 1800 891 4416; NIMHANS – 91 80 26995000 /5100 /5200 /5300 /5400; Arpita Suicide Prevention Helpline – 080-23655557; iCALL – 022-25521111 and 9152987821; Peak Mind – 080-456 87786; Vandrevala Foundation – 9999 666 555; COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ) – 0832-2252525.