Devastating news has emerged from Pune, Maharashtra, where a 40-year-old senior employee of a nationalized bank allegedly committed suicide on Thursday, July 17.
The deceased, identified as Shivshankar Mitra, had resigned from his post as Chief Manager on July 11, citing health issues and excessive workload. He was serving his 90-day notice period when he allegedly hanged himself inside the bank premises in Baramati town, Pune.
A suicide note recovered at the scene cited work pressure as the reason for his decision. It reportedly did not name anyone but included apologies to his wife and daughter.
Wife's Concern Leads to Discovery
Reports say that on the day of the incident, Mitra told all his colleagues to leave, saying he would close the branch. Following this, the watchman also left around 9:30 pm.
Around 10 pm, Mitra hanged himself using a rope he had earlier asked a colleague to bring. The entire incident was captured on the bank’s CCTV cameras.
Officials said that when Mitra did not return home and failed to answer repeated calls, his wife grew worried and went to the bank around midnight.
Finding the lights still on but getting no response from inside, she alerted other bank staff.
When they managed to open the bank, Mitra was found hanging from the ceiling. The police were alerted soon after.
Police Investigation Underway
After recovering the body, police sent it for a post-mortem and launched an investigation. So far, no foul play has been suspected, but police are looking into whether additional pressure was put on Mitra during his notice period. No evidence of direct harassment has been found yet.
Other Work-Pressure Related Incidents
Suicides linked to work pressure have been steadily increasing in recent years.
Earlier this year, Nikhil Somwanshi, reportedly an employee in Ola’s artificial intelligence unit, took his own life, citing toxic work culture and extreme pressure.
Another tragic case was the death of 26-year-old Anna Augustine, who worked at EY’s Pune branch and died within five months of joining. Her mother’s emotional letter blaming excessive workload went viral and sparked public debate.
Why It Matters
These repeated incidents highlight the urgent need to prioritize mental health in workplaces. Employers must provide grievance support, regularly monitor workloads, and foster a healthy work environment to help prevent such tragedies. These tragedies remind us that behind statistics are real people—families, colleagues, and lives silently burdened by workplace stress.
(Rh/Pooja Bansal/MSM/SE)