KMVN natural gas manager dies, colleagues say ‘stressful job’

Pithoragarh: A 55-year-old manager of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) gas agency in Champawat district died after returning from get off work on Sunday evening. His colleagues at the gas agency claimed that he took toxic substances because he was unable to cope with the stress of the job due to the conflict in West Asia. However, the family members denied this statement and said the cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is released. Some KMVN workers went on strike on Monday by not distributing cooking gas at some places in Kumaon. Colleagues said the victim, Dayal Singh Rawat, recently told friends that he “had a physical and mental breakdown due to the stress of his job and the pressure he faced from consumers and the government.”SP Rekha Yadav said his death would be investigated. “Rawat’s family has not said anything about taking poison,” Yadav said. Rawat’s brother-in-law, Rajendra Singh Bora, told TOI on Sunday that he looked normal when he returned home from get off work. Bora said: “At around 6.30 pm on Sunday, he called me and told me that he was going to the hospital to discharge his uncle who had undergone gallbladder surgery. An hour later, the two came back. Rawat soon complained of feeling unwell and asked his family to take him to the hospital, but he died in the hospital.”BS Bisht, in-charge of Champavat police station, said, “We were informed about Rawat’s death by the district hospital. The body has been handed over to the family after autopsy and the report is awaited.”Usha Rana, gas manager at KMVN Pithoragarh, said Rawat’s death was not due to work stress but admitted that gas distribution workers were under stress due to the coronavirus pandemic. This story is a continuation of the story on the first page of the newspaper. We’ve added it below for your reading convenience.‘Work pressure’: Gas agency manager ends lifeA 55-year-old manager of the Vikas Nigam Gas Agency at Kumaon Mandal in Champarvat, Uttarakhand, died after returning from get off work on Sunday. His colleagues at the gas agency claimed he took toxic substances because he was unable to cope with the stress of the job.