Woman – banker and mother of two – dies by suicide in Kerala

A 38-year-old woman died by suicide at her place of work on Saturday, police said.

KS Swapna was manager of Canara Bank’s branch in Kuthuparamba, Kannur; she hanged herself, the police said.

The mother-of-two left behind a couple of suicide notes, officials said. “I could not accomplish my job up to the expectations. My banking life was a failure,” one note said.

The note contains a request:“There are two loan applications, kindly consider them.”

The second note was addressed to her two teenaged children, the SHO of Kuthuparamba Police Station, Sunil Kumar, told The Federal.

Swapna’s husband died of heart attack two years ago. A native of Thrissur, she got transferred to Kannur and was living in an apartment with her children – a 16-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.

Also read: Children who die by suicide don’t want to end lives, but end their pain

“We understand that she was an independent woman bringing up two children by herself,” Kumar said. “She used to drive down with her children to Thrissur all the way from Kannur on holidays. She used to spend long hours in the bank as well.”

“Banks have transformed into corporates and employees are pushed into a market where there is cutthroat competition,” said Parvathy, a retired bank manager who worked at Canara Bank for 36 years.

“A couple of years ago, a manager killed himself by jumping from the top of his bank building in Kochi. In another incident, a bank employee walked out of a state level conference of bankers and jumped in front of a train,” Parvathy said.

Research by insurance firm MetLife indicates that around 67 per cent of employees in decision-making levels in financial institutions are heavily stressed and consider quitting the job. “High level of stress causes depression as well, which would probably lead to extreme decisions,” said Glenda Fernandez, a psychosocial councillor and former student councillor at IIT Goa.

(Please reach out to a mental health specialist if you need support or know someone who does. Helplines: AASRA: +91 98204 66726; SAHAI: 080 25497777)