Kerala man dies by suicide after failing to raise funds for son’s admission, wife's salary unpaid for 12 years

A 47-year-old man from Pathanamthitta district in Kerala has died by suicide, allegedly after financial distress stemming from two long-standing burdens: his inability to fund his son's engineering college admission and the non-payment of his wife’s salary for over 12 years.

The deceased, identified as V.T. Shijo, a resident of Ranni — about 100 km south-east of Kochi — was found hanging in the Moongampara forest area on Sunday evening, according to local officials.

Family members said Shijo had been under severe stress in recent weeks. His son had secured admission to an engineering college in Erode, Tamil Nadu, but the family was unable to raise the funds required for the admission. Adding to the financial strain was the fact that Shijo’s wife, Lekha Raveendran, a school teacher, had not received her salary for more than a decade, despite being government-approved.

According to relatives, the Kerala High Court had earlier directed the education department to release Lekha’s pending salary with retrospective effect. However, alleged bureaucratic delays and inaction by the district education office meant the family never received the dues.

“The school management had even approached the district education office to facilitate the release of her salary, but received no response,” said a relative, speaking to reporters on Monday. “He was under immense stress as the deadline for his son’s college admission was approaching and the family had no way to pay.”

The incident has sparked fresh debate over the role of administrative inefficiency in exacerbating financial crises among ordinary families.

Shijo’s death is the latest in a growing list of suicides in Kerala linked to economic hardship. In recent years, the state has witnessed several similar tragedies — many involving loan recovery proceedings, job insecurity, or unpaid entitlements.

Last year, a family of four in Vakkam, Thiruvananthapuram, died by suicide, with police citing financial distress and heavy debt as the likely reason. In another case, a farmer in Alappuzha took his own life, citing mounting debts and lack of institutional support.

Observers say such incidents reflect a broader pattern of economic vulnerability in the state and raise urgent questions about the responsiveness of public systems.

Shijo was the son of Thyagarajan, a district committee member of the Karshaka Sangham, a farmers’ organisation. His death has prompted widespread calls for a thorough investigation into the systemic lapses that deepened his family’s financial hardship.

- with inputs from IANS