‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ owner hospitalized after suicide attempt, days after restaurant closed

Infamous 'Baba Ka Dhaba' owner Kanta Prasad has been admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi following a suicide attempt on Thursday night. On June 17, the Delhi Police received information that 81-year-old Kanta Prasad had been admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital at 11.15 PM following a suicide attempt. The investigating officer reached the hospital where the authorities informed that intake of alcohol and sleeping pills were mentioned as the cause of unconsciousness. 

As per the Delhi Police, Kanta Prasad is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. His wife has alleged that he was depressed following the closure of the Baba Ka Dhaba restaurant in Malviya Nagar. The statement of his son Karan Prasad has been recorded in the case. The son too has mentioned that his father had taken alcohol and sleeping pills. Further inquiry into the case will continue.

'Baba Ka Dhaba' restaurant closed 

After turning into a success story harnessing the power of social media, Delhi's famous 'Baba Ka Dhaba' couple shut down their restaurant owing to the financial difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic last month. Nearly 6 months after it shot to fame, Baba Ka Dhaba restaurant moved back to being a tiny roadside eatery due to lack of business. The 80-year-old told Hindustan Times that the footfall in the restaurant had fallen drastically during the second COVID-19 wave and the Delhi lockdown.

“The daily footfalls at our dhaba have declined because of the ongoing COVID lockdown, and our daily sales have come down from Rs 3,500 before the lockdown to Rs 1,000 now. The income is not sufficient for our family of eight," the Baba Ka Dhaba owner said.

In the thick of the pandemic last year, local food joint 'Baba Ka Dhaba' went viral after a video was posted by a YouTuber highlighting the elderly owner's troubles. In the emotional video, Kanta Prasad sobbed on camera sharing the financial difficulties that small businesses like roadside eateries were facing. Shortly after the video went viral, people began flocking to the roadside eatery to support the elderly man and his wife during the pandemic.