Sacked Bosch staffer attempts suicide

A former employee of Bosch, who was among the 260 employees striking for over a year against sudden termination, allegedly attempted to kill himself at his residence at Dasarahalli on Saturday. The attempt closely follows the suicide of one of the protesting workers in July.

Praveen Melegowda (31), who had migrated from Hassan district more than a decade ago, reportedly consumed a large number of sleeping pills on reaching his home around 1 a.m. He was part of the group of striking employees that had gone to meet the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Friday to seek his intervention in the labour dispute against their termination from Bosch India Ltd. nearly a year ago.

According to the protesting workers, Praveen had sent a message to them saying he “could no more harbour any hopes (of the dispute getting resolved) and had decided to take his life”. A suicide note mentions the names of the top management of Bosch India as being responsible for his action.

At 5 a.m., after workers attempted to frantically reach out to his mother and two younger brothers who stay with him, he was found in an unconscious state. He was rushed to a nearby hospital. While there has been no formal police complaint registered, the Peenya police arrived at the hospital after a medico-legal case was filed through the hospital.

A worker said Praveen, who had worked at Bosch for eight years before his termination from their employee rolls, had been disheartened after a meeting between 263 workers and management, scheduled for Saturday, was called off late on Friday. The workers have been on strike since August 14, and several mediation meetings had failed. The Labour Department had sent a ‘failure report’ to the State government last month.

However, according to workers, the management had sought out the workers and promised a meeting on Saturday to “resolve the dispute”.

The meeting was deferred as Bosch officials were not in the city, and this, said workers, had dashed the hopes of many.

Labour Minister Santosh Lad visited Praveen — who was said to be out of danger — in the hospital on Saturday evening. Bosch Ltd. India authorities were unavailable for comment.