india

Updated: Jun 16, 2015 15:34 IST

A contract worker working at Nestle India in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur committed suicide 13 days after the state high court banned sale and production of the company's popular instant noodles brand Maggi for 90 days, officials said on Tuesday.

Police said 32-year-old Lalta Prasad, 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.

"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 HT on Tuesday.

Prasad is survived by his wife and two children.

Prasad, like 1,100 other contract workers at the Nestle plant was laid off recently following the ban. He was reportedly under stress after he was asked him to 'sit at home'.

Police said they are yet to find out the exact reason behind Prasad's suicide since he had some issues with his family as well.

Hindustan Times was first to report that contract workers at the Nestle plant lost their jobs after production of noodles stopped.

Meanwhile, the 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.

Health department sources say 16 samples of the noodles have failed tests conducted at a laboratory in Rudrapur.

The HC in its June 3 order had banned the sale, production, stocking and distribution of the noodles in the state.



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