Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 22: Nagaraj (48), resident of Khas Bagh in Doddaballapur town hanged himself from a tree near the Hesaraghatta lake on Tuesday July 21. It is learnt that his son was recently treated for coronavirus infection and had fully recovered. He was deeply hurt by derision and verbal jabs he came across from the locals.

Nagaraj's son had recently been infected with coronavirus. He was admitted into a hospital at Doddaballapur and treated. He had returned home fully healed. As a precautionary measure, he was advised to undergo home quarantine. The locals, out of fear of getting infected with coronavirus, reportedly passed derisive comments and directed barbs of insult at Nagaraj. He also was pressured to shift his family elsewhere as his son was infected. Nagaraj, who was frustrated by the negative attitude of local people and stressed by the damage to his self-esteem, had explained to his daughter over phone about his agonizing experience before he hanged himself.

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It is said that on phone, Nagaraj named Muddappa, former president of Doddaballapur municipality, and his brother, but Muddappa has denied the allegation. He said he had just given some sane advice to Nagaraj. "I had asked his family not to come out of their home. I never used abusive language at Nagaraj," he claimed.

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, in a tweet, condemned the way in which coronavirus infected persons are treated as untouchables. He said that Nagaraj from Doddaballapur ended life as the government has not given enough attention to this problem. He advised the government to deal in a sensitive and responsible way about the infected persons and their families. Doddaballapur MLA T Venkataramanaiah, termed this as an inhuman incident and stressed that people's representatives should create awareness among the people, not deride them.