Representative image (IANS)

Pithoragarh: A 55-year-old manager of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) gas agency in Champawat district died after returning from work on Sunday evening. His colleagues at the gas agency claimed that he consumed the poisonous substance because he could not cope with the work pressure due to the prevailing conditions in the country due to the conflict in West Asia. However, the family members denied this and said that the cause of death will be known after the postmortem report comes. On Monday, some KMVN employees went on strike and did not distribute cooking gas at some places in Kumaon. Co-workers claimed that the victim, Dayal Singh Rawat, had recently told his friend that “he was having a physical and mental breakdown due to too much work pressure and was facing heat from consumers and administration alike.”SP Rekha Yadav said that his death will be investigated. “Rawat’s family members did not say anything about consuming poison,” Yadav said. Rawat’s brother-in-law Rajendra Singh Bora told TOI on Sunday that he looked normal when he came home from work. Bora said, “He called me around 6.30 pm on Sunday evening and told me that he was going to the hospital to discharge his maternal uncle, who had undergone gall bladder surgery. Both returned after an hour. Rawat soon complained of uneasiness and asked his family to take him to the hospital, where he died.”Champawat police station in-charge BS Bisht said, “The district hospital informed us about Rawat’s death. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem, the report of which is awaited.”KMVN Pithoragarh gas manager Usha Rana said Rawat’s death was not due to work pressure, though she admitted that gas distribution workers are under pressure due to the current situation. This story was carried forward from the page 1 story in the newspaper. We have added it below for your reading convenience.‘Work pressure’: Gas agency MGR ends his lifeA 55-year-old manager of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Gas Agency in Champawat, Uttarakhand died after returning from work on Sunday. His colleagues at the gas agency claimed that he consumed poisonous substances because he could not handle the work pressure.