Taunted over coronavirus spread after Tablighi meet, Himachal man commits suicide

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, April 5

A man committed suicide on Sunday morning in Una district of Himachal Pradesh after villagers allegedly taunted him over the spread of coronavirus post the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi.

Dilshad Muhamud hung himself from the roof of his house located at a hilltop in Bangarh village.

The local police in-charge, Rakesh Kumar, who was present on the spot, said that Dilshad was taken by police to a regional hospital in Una on April 2 as he had come in contact with two persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. He tested negative for coronavirus and was dropped off at his home on Saturday, in an ambulance, Kumar said.

Muhamud belonged to the Gujjar community and was involved in dairy farming. His family belonged to Bangarh village, where most of the Gujjar community is involved in selling milk in adjoining areas of Punjab and in Una district. His family was listed as a BPL family by the Himachal government, as per the board painted outside his house.

Muhamud’s mother, Usha Devi, said that some villagers had insulted her son.

“Disturbed by the insults he committed suicide,” she added

Devi said that he met all family members on Sunday morning, offered namaz and then went inside a room. When he did not come out for long, the family members broke open the door and found him hanging.

Muhamud’s wife, Amardeep Kaur, also blamed villagers for insulting her husband. She was inconsolable and said that despite the fact that her husband tested negative for coronavirus, some villagers were out to victimize the family. They had also stopped taking milk from their family, she claimed. Kaur said selling milk was the family’s only source of income. She maintained that her husband had never visited Delhi and had stayed at home--but was still harassed.

Police in-charge of the region said a case would be registered after a post-mortem was performed on the body.