Three PMC Bank depositors die within 24 hours; families claim "sever stress"
Mumbai: Over three weeks after the RBI moved against PMC Bank for various irregularities, and imposed a curb on withdrawals, three of the cooperative bank’s account-holders, including a 51-year-old who had lost his job with the defunct Jet Airways in April, died over the last 24 hours in Mumbai.
Two of the deaths have been attributed to heart attacks with families and friends claiming that they were under “severe stress”. The third death was that of a 39-year-old doctor, who was “suffering from depression” and committed suicide, police said.
Former Jet Airways senior technician Sanjay Gulati died after having a meal at his home in Oshiwara Monday night while Fattomal Punjabi (59) collapsed around Tuesday noon at his electronics shop in Mulund’s Sindhi Colony. On Tuesday evening, Dr Yogita Bijlani, who had moved to Mumbai from the US last year, took an overdose of sleeping pills.
Gulati, who had been participating in protests against the bank, leaves behind a family of five, including his mother Varsha, father C L Gulati, wife Megha and two sons aged 18 and 10. “He had accounts only in PMC Bank, all his money was there,” said his 80-year-old father.
Punjabi’s friends said he was suffering from losses in business and that his wife and son-in-law had died within a few months of each other earlier this year. “The Diwali season was approaching and he was worried about his business,” said K T Tyagnani, a family friend.
Bijlani was with her husband in Columbia (South Carolina) before moving to Mumbai last year. She was staying with her parents and one-year-old son in Andheri West. “She was suffering from depression. We haven’t found any suicide note on her. According to her family, she had tried to commit suicide in Columbia a couple of years ago, too,” said a senior police officer.
Courtesy: indianexpress.com
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Shivakumar’s CM aspiration natural, high command will decide: Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Saturday that Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, as the state Congress president, naturally aspires to become chief minister. However, he added that the final decision rests with the party's high command.
Amid ongoing speculation about a leadership change within the ruling Congress, he wished Shivakumar "good luck".
"I have always wished him so. There is nothing else; we are good friends. He is the PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) president, and naturally, he has an aspiration to become the chief minister. Nobody can object to it. But it all depends on what the high command decides,” Parameshwara said in response to a question regarding Shivakumar’s aspiration for the CM post.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “Don’t always go back to the CM issue. Please understand there is nothing that I can tell you about it. If I were part of the decision-making body or inside the decision-making body, I could definitely provide information.”
Supporters of Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in line with a reported power-sharing agreement with chief minister Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections. Some have even claimed that "sweet news" is expected by May 15, which is Shivakumar’s birthday.
Speculation has been circulating within the Congress and political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results of the Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
However, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday that there is no CM change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
On Friday, he said no date has been fixed yet to discuss a possible leadership change, while maintaining that any decision in this regard would be taken collectively by the party high command after due consultation.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara met senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan over dinner on Friday. Hariprasad had met Siddaramaiah earlier in the day.
Responding to a question about discussions at the dinner, as his name is also being mentioned for the chief minister post amid calls for a "Dalit CM", the home minister said there was no discussion about the chief minister issue.
“Hariprasad told me that he met the CM, but he did not disclose what was discussed between them. Hariprasad, Zameer Ahmed Khan, and I met over dinner, and we discussed the elections held in four states and one union territory. We analysed the national-level political situation and naturally discussed the state’s political developments,” he said.
When asked if he would travel to New Delhi to meet the party high command, Parameshwara said, “I will definitely go to Delhi. Nobody can stop me from going there. I will go when it is required.”
