Depressed after cash crisis, bizman kills self

TNN | Updated: Dec 25, 2016, HOWRAH: A businessman in Howrah committed suicide on Friday, allegedly because of setbacks suffered due to demonetisation.

Debashish Bhakta (55) slashed his throat with a razor and was declared "dead on arrival" at Howrah district hospital.

Bhakta owned a brick kiln in Ghola, North 24-Parganas and a jewellery shop at Howrah's Salkia. After the currency ban on November 8, Bhakta found himself unable to pay his 250-odd brick kiln workers, while sales slumped at his jewellery shop with cash-strapped customers shying away from big purchases even during the wedd-ing season.

The victim's wife Sujata said, "My husband had to make a weekly payment of around Rs 2 lakh to the 250 workers at his brick kiln. With the cash crunch after demonetisation, he was not being able to pay the workers who became agitated and stopped regular work. Many orders received by the brick kiln could not be delivered and the revenue declined. A double blow came when sales at his jewellery shop dropped well below the usual volume recorded during the wedding season. This slump in both businesses left him frustrated."

"When my husband returned home on Friday night, he seemed very depressed. He entered his room while I was in the kitchen. A while later, I found him profusely bleeding from the throat. I called our neighbours, who helped carry him to hospital."