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Family members fear the 61-year old committed suicide

A 61-year old Indian social worker, an employee of the Ministry of Health in Sharjah, has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, in Masafi near Fujairah.

Sugathan V was secretary of the Sharjah branch of Sevanam, a community organisation run under a trust called the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), based in the south Indian state of Kerala.

Sugathan’s friends and relatives are baffled by his death, which they believe is suicide.

There has been no official statement yet by the Fujairah or Sharjah police on the cause of death, but if it is indeed suicide, as is feared by Sugathan’s kin, there will be more than just a hint of irony.

Sugathan’s work with Sevanam centred around helping people in debt and he especially worked hard to ensure people in severe debt did not commit suicide.

Sugathan also campaigned stridently against ‘unofficial’ money lenders in the UAE and high interest rates charged by them.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, close friends said Sugathan himself had experienced dealing with money lenders in Ajman and was said to be facing financial difficulties.

A close friend told this website: “He was on leave for two days. He reportedly purchased a rope from a supermarket and a bill for the same was found in his pocket.

“He drove his vehicle all the way to Masafi and was found hanging from the cladding of a building under construction.

“The vehicle was found parked outside,” said the friend.

“He called the family from Masafi and told his children to take care of their mother.

“Later his mobile phone was switched off.  His  relatives desperately tried to locate him and filed a police complaint.

“The body was spotted by construction workers who came to the building site at morning.”

Sugathan’s Facebook page still carries birthday greetings from his 300-plus friends.

His social work made him a popular figure in the community.

He is survived by a daughter, son and wife.

The SNDP trust is one of the richest community associations in Kerala and has 10,000 members in the UAE alone.

It represents the Ezhava community, the largest Hindu group in the state.

Sugathan was honoured by the association in October2011.