Slum dweller attempts suicide over demolished home

A First Information Report (FIR) lodged at the Wanowrie police station also confirmed that the government officials had demolished Nair’s hut, which was an encroachment on the railway track at Mundhawa.

While Nair, who has suffered high degree burns, is undergoing treatment at Ward number 27 of the Sassoon General Hospital, the Wanowrie police have charged him with attempting to commit suicide. Nair had set himself afire at his rented residence in Kharadkar Chawl near the Hadapsar Railway Station around 2.45 pm on Monday. His wife Basanta was fast asleep at the time while eight-year-old son Shrilesh and five and a half year old daughter Vaisha had gone to school.

Basanta, who woke up after hearing Nair’s cries for help, had rescued him and rushed to the Sassoon General Hospital with the help of some neighbours. Later, on being tipped off about the incident, some policemen from the Wanowrie police station went to the hospital and recorded Nair’s statement.

Nayar, who hails from Kerala, had migrated to Pune about 14 years back and has been working with the Saint Joseph School ever since. He said he had purchased a hut in a slum located along the railway track at Ghorpadi at Rs 25,000 about five years back.

“I felt that all my dreams of owning a house were becoming a reality when I shifted to Ghorpadi. However, much to my dismay, the railway authorities demolished my dwelling as well as 75 to 100 other huts after declaring them encroachments on the property owned by the Railways. Our pleas for rehabilitation fell on deaf ear. We even took out a morcha at the Pune Municipal Corporation protested but to no avail. Finally, I was forced to shift to Mundhawa and rent a room in the Kharadkar Chawl,” Nair sobbed.

He claimed that he was driven to an alcohol habit out of frustration. However, the addiction created more problems as he felt even more depressed after consuming liquor, he added.

According to Nair, he decided to put an end to his life while facing such a bout of psychological trouble on Monday afternoon. Immediately, he says he rushed home and set himself on fire.