MTC engineer dies by suicide citing harassment at workplace

CHENNAI: A 53-year-old junior engineer of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) ended his life on Monday, hours after he sent an e-mail to the office of the Director General of Police accusing two of his senior officials of workplace harassment. Yuvaraj, a long-time MTC employee from Guduvanchery who had worked at the Tambaram workshop for over two decades, alleged in the mail that he faced sustained humiliation and was denied basic service entitlements. He stated that his request for medical leave, supported by a medical board certificate for severe neck pain submitted on August 12, was rejected by the workshop manager and a senior HR officer. Yuvaraj also claimed he was placed under Section 11C of the Government Servants Conduct Rules, left without work, and remained unpaid for nearly three months. Despite multiple petitions, no internal inquiry was initiated, he stated. Hours after the mail was sent, the Tambaram Railway Police recovered Yuvarajs body from a railway track and sent it for post-mortem. MTC Managing Director T Prabhushankar said a departmental inquiry has been ordered to determine whether any lapse in handling Yuvarajs leave request contributed to his death. He added that Yuvaraj had earlier issued similar threats and that a police complaint had been filed against him in 2023. (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)