Shimla, Jan 17 (PTI) The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) authorities on Friday said that a driver, who allegedly committed suicide alleging harassment by the local unit management, was facing domestic violence at home.

Sanjay Kumar, who worked as a driver in the Dharampur unit of the HRTC, allegedly committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance recently.

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On January 13, a purported video recorded before his death went viral in which Kumar could be heard alleging misconduct and harassment by the local unit.

The driver had availed medical leave in November 2022 on grounds of domestic violence.

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Kumar had in a letter to the regional manager, HRTC, Kullu, stated that he had sustained injuries after was beaten up by his wife and son, and had filed an FIR, said HRTC Managing Director Rohan Chand Thakur in a statement.

Kumar had requested for leave on the same grounds during his posting at the Kullu Unit citing domestic violence in his leave dated January 7, 2025 which demonstrates that the employee had been facing domestic strife and violence at home, the statement said.

The preliminary inquiry conducted by the HRTC into the circumstances leading to the driver's suicide also found that he had earlier faced disciplinary action for negligent driving and disobedience and had proceeded on a five-day leave on January 7 without getting it sanctioned.

On January 7, Kumar had submitted an application to concerned 'adda' (bus stand) in-charge for another five-day leave and proceeded on leave without getting it sanctioned, the inquiry report said.

In the video, Kumar had claimed that a senior official withheld his salary for the past four months and also harassed him. However, as per the inquiry report, he had been paid salary till December 2024.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)