Vivek Raj lodged a police complaint hours before his death. While the police arrested one, two others moved the high court to quash the FIR.
Before he ended his life, Vivek Raj pointed to three people in particular at his workplace, levelling allegations of discrimination against them. (Creative Commons)
The 67-year-old Rajkumar is a lonely man. He lost his wife 20 years ago. And earlier this month, he had to conduct the last rites of his 37-year-old son Vivek Raj earlier this month in Bengaluru.
Vivek died by suicide at his flat in Divyashree Republic in the Brookfield area of Bengaluru in Karnataka on 3 June, hours after lodging a police complaint alleging harassment by three senior colleagues.
A day after his death, Rajkumar arrived in Bengaluru from Kaptanganj in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district to receive his only child’s body.
Nearly two weeks later, Rajkumar told South First: “Now, with this misfortune. I will have to live my life alone.”
A retired semi-government employee, Rajkumar was informed of his son’s death on 3 June. He said there was no point in taking the body back home since there was no one waiting.
Meanwhile, before taking the extreme step, Raj posted a video on YouTube, in which he said he could not fight anymore.
He was referring to the alleged caste discrimination and atrocities he had been subjected to at his workplace, which he said was meted out by his colleagues.
He pointed out three people in particular at his workplace, Lifestyle International Private Limited in Marthahalli.
The Marthahalli police said Raj complained of harassment before his death. A case was registered against three people under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A senior police officer told South First that one Nithesh Kumar had already been arrested in the case, while two others approached the high court for an order to quash the FIR against them. They reportedly contended that private companies do not ask their employees’ castes.
Now, based on Rajkumar’s complaint, the Whitefield police have registered another complaint against the trio.
Raj was working as a visual merchandiser with Lifestyle International. He graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Bengaluru.
Rajkumar said his son used to call him regularly. He called on 3 June also as usual. “He earlier mentioned a particular ‘madam’, his reporting manager, who was not happy with his work, but praised others for the same work.”
Lifestyle International, while condoling “the demise of our former employee”, said Raj raised a complaint through its “internal process, and a thorough internal investigation was conducted by company policies, outcomes were shared with him, and the appropriate actions were taken”.
It added: “As this matter is sub-judice and being investigated by the police, we are fully cooperating with their investigation.”
In an 8-minute-8-second video that Raj posted before taking the extreme step, he is heard saying: “I am sorry and I am proud as well. Fighting the system, whether it might be government or private sector, is a difficult thing. Coming from a particular background, studying hard, and working hard, you change, you evolve and get better as a human being. You try to be kind to others. But the world is not kind to you.”
He continued: “As Bhagat Singh said, ‘If the deaf is to hear, the sound has to be very loud.’ I have tried to make that sound. … The system is corrupt. People with money and people with power will harass you, keep harassing you, not addressing the issue…. When you try to address [the problem] through the legal system, they will get the best of advocates. They are ready to throw money, as much as possible, to hide the harassment but not correct or define the system.”
He also said: “Let it be me who will start this revolution in the corporate industry. To the honourable prime minister of the country, who is silent on many things which are going wrong… wrestlers are protesting. I know you will not speak on that. At least I request you — the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SC/ST Commission, the police — to be more vigilant, to cooperate, to come up with a better grievance resolution system. If my sacrifice brings it, let it be, so be it.”
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