Datia teacher dies by suicide in school washroom:Family alleges he was under pressure of SIR work, did not know how to use mobile

A government school teacher died by suicide inside the school premises in Datia district on Tuesday morning. The incident took place at a primary school in village Salon B under Pandokhar police station area. The teacher, identified as Udaybhan Sihare (50), son of Laxmi Narayan Sihare, was found hanging in the washroom while students and other teachers were present on campus. According to police, around 11 am, Udaybhan went to the school washroom but did not return for a long time. Concerned staff members called out to him, but when there was no response, they broke open the door. He was found hanging from a rope tied to the ventilator. The teachers immediately informed the police, who reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem to the district hospital after registering a case. Was reportedly distressed over BLO responsibility Preliminary inquiry suggests that the teacher had been under mental stress for several days. His family members said he had been struggling since being given additional duties as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for election-related work. His brother, Dharmendra Sihare, told police that Udaybhan was uncomfortable with the work as he did not know how to use a mobile phone or ride a bike, which made the additional responsibilities difficult for him. ‘Ever since he was assigned BLO work, he seemed troubled and had even expressed his wish to quit the responsibility several times,’ his brother said. Administration appeals to employees Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede expressed sorrow over the incident and said that the exact reason for the suicide is yet to be determined. He said, The work assigned to BLOs is within the prescribed framework and follows government guidelines. If any employee faces difficulties due to health or family reasons, they should immediately inform the administration. The Collector further appealed to all government employees that in case of stress or difficulty in performing assigned tasks, they can directly meet him for assistance. Police are investigating the matter further.