Khammam: A woman bus conductor of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporations (RTC) ended her life on Monday, the third RTC worker to commit suicide since the strike began on October 5.
Police said the body of B. Neeraja, conductor working at Sattupalli depot, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at their house in Kavirajanagar in Khammam by her husband B. Rajasekhar at about 11 am on Monday.
Ms Neeraja was said to be distressed that the strike was prolonging without any solution in sight. The financial commitments that the family had to meet allegedly weighed heavily on her mind, sources close to the family said. The RTC workers have not been paid salary for September. The RTC managed had claimed that it does not have money to pay salaries.
On October 12, D. Srinivas Reddy, an RTC driver working in Khammam depot, committed suicide setting himself ablaze at his house in Khammam. He died in hospital the next day.
On October 13, B. Surender Goud, a depot employee at RTC Ranigunj-2, committed suicide after a cheque he had issued towards an EMI bounced.
Police said Rajasekhar went to his native village Sadasivapuram in Nelakondapalli mandal, along with their two kids, to celebrate Diwali with his parents.
Neeraja had gone to Pallepadu, her parent’s village, near Khammam but had returned at 7 am on Sunday. Her brother dropped her in Khammam.
She talked with her husband and her mother after reaching home.
Rajasekhar called her in the morning today, but the call was not answered. He rushed home and found her body hanging from the ceiling fan.
Venkat Rao, ACP, Khammam, said, “The police had not received a post-mortem report so far. She might have been committed suicide late at night.”
Neeraja is survived by two children, Pujitha studying in class 4, and Vishal studying in class two, besides her husband Rajasekhar, who works as a supervisor in a granite factory. She used to stay in Khammam and go to Sattupalli every day to attend work.
The news of her death spread within minutes and scores of RTC workers assembled at her house.
