Two diamond workers from India tragically took their own lives on the same day amid the ongoing financial strain in Surat, known as the world’s hub for cutting and polishing diamonds.
According to the Diamond Workers Union Gujarat in Surat, this brings the tally of industry suicides to at least 64 over the past 15 months.
One of the deceased, identified as 21-year-old Sagar Makwana from Surat, left a note explaining his distress over financial difficulties due to insufficient work in diamond cutting and polishing. His body was discovered by his older brother on the morning of Wednesday, July 17.
In a separate incident on the same day, 65-year-old diamond merchant Bhavesh Nagin Seth reportedly ended his life by jumping from Mumbai’s Worli-Bandra sea link bridge. Reports indicate he was deeply affected by significant business losses at his establishment in the Bandra Kurla Complex. Despite efforts by witnesses to alert emergency services, strong waves thwarted rescue attempts, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Bhavesh Tank, president of the Diamond Workers Union Gujarat, expressed concern over the situation, highlighting the union’s initiative to establish a helpline aimed at preventing such tragedies. Tank disclosed that the helpline has already received over 500 calls from diamond polishers grappling with financial pressures, including loan repayments, debts owed to friends and relatives, rent payments, and children’s education expenses.
The incidents underscore the severe economic challenges faced by workers and merchants in India’s diamond industry, prompting calls for greater support and intervention to address mental health issues and financial distress among those involved in diamond cutting and polishing.
