Manimuthu, a manager at an electronics store, left a suicide note blaming online gambling.
A manager at an electronics store died by suicide near Vazhpadi in Salem district after losing money in online gambling. The manager Manimuthu took his own life at a temple in Veppilapatti. Vazhpadi police who were alerted when locals discovered the body, told TNM that Manimuthu had left a note indicating his losses in online gambling as the reason for dying by suicide.
The death of Manimuthu comes in the wake of increasing criticism against Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi who is yet to give his assent to the bill banning online gaming passed by the legislative assembly. The criticism mounted after the state government’s ordinance putting a temporary ban lapsed on November 27. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022 was passed in the Assembly on October 19. Last week, an explanation was sought from the Governor regarding the delay in giving assent to the Bill.
The state’s decision to ban online gambling and regulate online gaming was taken after the government constituted a committee led by retired Madras High Court Justice K Chandru to study the adverse effects of online gambling and its impact. The Bill is based on the committee’s report that was submitted on June 27 this year.
There have been several cases of people in Tamil Nadu dying by suicide because they lost money on online gambling platforms. On November 26, a labourer from Odisha working in Sankarankovil, Tenkasi, died by suicide after losing Rs 70,000 to online rummy. The labourer, identified as Maji, worked at a private spinning company in Velayuthapuram.
Read: TN govt’s ordinance to ban online gambling lapses, Guv fails to give assent to Bill
Similarly, in July this year, a 20-year-old college student from TP Chathram area in Chennai’s Kilpauk neighbourhood died by suicide on Sunday after losing all his savings in an online gambling app. In his suicide note, the youth named the app Casto Club on which he had lost his savings and said that he went into depression as a result of losing the money. In June, 29-year-old Bhavani, a mathematics graduate who had been working in a private medical firm in Chennai for a month, died by suicide after losing around 20 sovereigns of jewellery and Rs 3 lakh to online gambling.
As the state government continues to await the Governor’s assent to the Bill, representatives of the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) met the governor at Chennai’s Raj Bhavan on December 5, 2022. The agenda of the meeting was unclear as the Raj Bhavan did not issue a formal press release on the Governor holding a meeting with members of the federation.
Read: TN online gambling ban: Governor holds meeting with E-gaming industry representatives
Reacting to the death of Manimuthu, former Union Minister and President of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Anbumani Ramadoss said, “The increasing number of suicides in recent times is a testament to how deadly online gambling is. If online gambling is not banned, it is inevitable that losing money and suicide will become a daily occurrence!” Ramadoss issued a statement in Twitter emphasising the urgency for the Bill to receive the Governor’s assent, saying, “There is an urgent need to ratify legislation passed to ban online gambling. It is sad that the Governor is not aware of the suicides caused by online gambling. Prohibition of gambling should be approved immediately.”
Watch: Online rummy ban: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi draws flak for meeting e-gambling representatives
