Chennai/New Delhi/Mumbai: A veteran photo journalist T. Kumar allegedly committed suicide on Sunday night that shocked the journalistic fraternity across the country.
A colleague had found T Kumar’s body in the newsroom on Sunday (February 13, 2022) night, according to the Press Trust of India. He is survived by his wife, son, and a daughter.
Kumar was working with news agency United News of India (UNI) since 1986. He was a Senior Photographer and Bureau Manager in the UNI Chennai office.
Since the news agency was allegedly not paying full salary to its employees for quite some time, the 56-year-old had run into financial troubles, also because of an alleged “backlog of salaries”.
The UNI All-India Employees’ Front stated that it had learnt that Kumar’s wife had met with an accident a few months ago and he had applied for an amount of at least Rs. One lakh against his pending dues for her treatment. However he was sent a paltry sum of Rs. 25,000 only. Also, Kumar’s daughter’s engagement was scheduled to be solemnised next week and it is learnt that he had applied for Rs. 5 lakh for the same, but the management was yet to respond.
“We demand that the death should be thoroughly investigated and that strict legal action should be taken against those found responsible for abetting the suicide. We also demand that UNI should pay a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh immediately and clear all his legal dues within a week, failing which we will be compelled to launch an all-India level agitation,” the Front stated.
The Front further mentioned that the incident has shaken up all the 250-odd UNI employees across the country, who are reeling under severe economic pressure due to the delay/non-payment of their earned wages for more than a decade now. “There is a backlog of 60 months of salaries, yet the management’s callous attitude toward the dire crisis of the employees is unchanged. This month itself, a decision has been taken to stop payment of Rs. 10,000/- against the pending statutory gratuity, pending salaries and other legal dues payable to former employees,” it claimed.
Holding the UNI Board and management at the Head office, in New Delhi, responsible for creating this crisis in the company due to which the employees are suffering, the Front stated that against a 60-month- salary backlog, the management has been doling out a sum of Rs. 15,000 in lieu of monthly salaries. A”t superannuation, no employee gets gratuity, pending salaries and other legal dues,” it claimed.
It may be noted that UNI, a national news agency, is run by a Board of Directors. The Chairman is Sagar Mukhopadhyay of Manipal group, one of UNI shareholders. The other two directors are Binod Mandal (Also, Head Legal and Group Company Secretary Manipal Group) and Pawan Kumar Sharma. Shareholders include Jagran Prakashan Ltd, Kasturi & Sons Ltd, Express Publication (Madurai), HT Media Ltd, Statesman Ltd and Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Ltd, ABP Pvt. Ltd., and Times of India among others.
The Front stated its Chairman had promised to revive UNI last year but did not bring any fresh investments. “On the contrary they have burdened the agency with monthly Rs. 20 lakh (approximate) expenditure appointing more than 30 contractual employees on key positions with hefty paychecks. Thus, in a way they are directly responsible for the plight of employees,” it claimed.
The National Alliance of Journalists(NAJ) and the Delhi Union of journalists(DUJ) stated it was shocked to hear of the suicide by UNI photo journalist T.Kumar, in Chennai on Sunday.
“We hear that he was the first photographer to become state head of the agency in Tamil Nadu,” they stated and noted the circumstances leading to his death. They mentioned the fact that UNI in general is not paying its employees their dues regularly, with a heavy back log.
“The grim story of UNI being miss-managed over the years and the semi starvation of many employees who have not got their past dues and the government squeeze of the premier agency is recorded,” said DUJ General Secretary Sujata Madhok.
The matter will be discussed along with the deplorable state of this once premier agency, at our special meeting of the Executive on Wednesday. We express our deep condolences with the family and call for immediate relief by the management, she told Global Bihari, in New Delhi today.
The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ), while expressing shock and anger at the tragic death by suicide of Kumar, stated in Mumbai that denial of Kumar’s request for financial assistance “is a criminal indication of the plight of all the employees”.
The BUJ also pointed out that very recently, the management of UNI had taken a decision to stop payment of Rs 10000 against pending statutory gratuity, pending salaries and other legal dues payable to former employees. It demanded a thorough investigation by law enforcing agencies against the UNI board of directors and management and and strict action against those responsible for the death and for the larger state of affairs in UNI.
The BUJ further demanded that immediate compensation be paid to the family of Mr Kumar and the crisis in the news agency be resolved without any delay.
– global bihari bureau
