CHENNAI: On a day when the government decriminalised suicide bids, a 29-year-old employee and former volleyball team player of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Ayanavaram committed suicide inside the workshop after his leave application was rejected by his superiors on Wednesday.
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Over 1,000 employees staged a protest against the indifferent attitude of the management and demanded compensation to the victim’s family. They alleged that the management was exerting pressure on the workers to meet the target without additional work force.
The deceased, K Guhan, resident of South Colony, ICF reported for work two hours before his shift time at 6 am. Roped into the sports group in labourers category, Guhan, playing as Libero, dropped out of the team two years ago due to personal reasons. He has represented ICF in nationals and inter-State tournaments.
He had gone on leave for five days to visit his in-laws and wife Sumithra, who delivered a girl child five months ago in Puducherry.
Returning for duty on on Tuesday, he sought to extend his leave which was denied.
When contacted, the ICF administration clarified that the leave could not be granted since production was in progress.
According to the employees, the annual target has been increasing every year without sufficient increase in the number of employees in the production line. As such, pressure mounts on the workers who had been forced to work without leaves even at times of family emergency. The ICF top brass has promised to look into the matter.