32 year old Lalta Prasad was left unemployed following an order by a state high court in India to ban the sale and distribution of popular instant noodles brand Maggi. The Nestle worker who belonged to Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, had been working at the plant located at State Industrial Development Corporation Uttarakhand Ltd in Rudrapur, 70 km from Nainital, since the last two years.
Prasad was not the only one who was laid off. According to reports, an estimated 1,100 workers had to be laid off, following the 90 day ban imposed on the sale and distribution of Maggi. He was reportedly under a lot of stress, after Lalta Prasad was told ‘to sit at home’.
The wife of the worker came to know about Prasad’s suicide after he did not open the door of his room on Monday. His body was hanging from a fan,” NA Bharne, senior superintendent of police US Nagar district, told a local Indian newspaper on Tuesday. The deceased worker is survived by a wife and two children. Police stated that they were investigating as to why he committed suicide, since he had reportedly had issues with his family as well.
Uttarakhand high court has asked the government to submit a report after a few samples of Maggi failed food safety tests. The hearing is scheduled on June 20. Maggi noodles have been shelved off in India following the food product’s failure to pass the food safety tests.
A couple of weeks ago, an FIR was registered against prominent Bollywood superstars Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. The actors had endorsed Maggi noodles in the past as a healthy food item.
Also read: 10 Indian states order Maggi noodles off shelves
