GUWAHATI: A 24-year-old student at the Odisha Medical College committed suicide on Tuesday. The student allegedly suffered from mental health problems for some time, which placed her in a situation where she was compelled to take such a huge step. The incident happened in the deceased's home in Bhangagarh, Guwahati.
According to the sources, the girl arrived in Assam on November 15th from college and was rumoured to have had some serious mental health issues. It has been revealed that the deceased's father and mother both work for SBI. Police have already started an investigation into the incident and more information is yet to be revealed.
According to police records, Assam saw 2,310 suicide cases in 2018. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the state had 2,370 suicide cases in 2019, which rose to 3,243 in 2020 a 36.8% increase. Assam police reported 3,302 suicide deaths last year, of which 2,391 were men and 911 were women. The NCRB has not yet released data for 2021.
The majority of suicide deaths occurred in Guwahati, the largest city in the state. The numbers have risen steadily from 222 such deaths in 2013 to 414 suicides in the city last year. In just the first six months of this year, more than 400 such deaths have already been reported.
"Suicides have increased significantly, which is worrying. Partha Sarathi Mahanta, the joint police commissioner of Guwahati, said to the media in a recent interview, "We have been trying to find ways of bringing down such deaths as certain situations and mental conditions lead such people to die by suicide.
The police in Guwahati have established two helplines, 6026900574 and 6026900552, where anyone can call and receive assistance and guidance from professionals in order to provide counselling to those who are dealing with mental disorders.
According to experts, a number of causes have contributed to an increase in suicides in Assam and most other parts of the country over the past few years, but the numbers can be reduced with appropriate education and counselling.
They believe that since the decriminalisation of suicide attempts in 2018 there has been an increase in the reporting of suicide cases, which many people had previously tried to conceal.
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