NDTV: Mumbai: Friday, April 08,
2016.
At time when
the alleged suicide of popular TV actor Pratyusha Banerjee is making headlines,
the number of suicides in Mumbai has been on a decline for past three years, an
RTI query has revealed.
In 2013,
total 1,322 people committed suicide in Mumbai, while the number went down to
1,196 in 2014, and further slipped to 1,122 in 2015, as per a reply by Mumbai
police to an RTI query filed by Pune-based activist Vihar Durve.
Attributing
this trend to the "fighting spirit" of the people in the city, Mumbai
police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay
Kulkarni said, "It's nice to see that Mumbaikars are showing their
character as fighter, than being a quitter."
He said,
"I would say that people are becoming self-motivated and reliant, apart
from the fact that they have become much more aware about the ups and down of
the life by availing timely counselling (at counselling centres), thanks to the
efforts taken by various groups."
The reply
furnished by Mumbai police also said that more males committed suicide than the
females between 2013 and 2015. In the last three calender years, total 2,304
males committed suicide, while 1,336 females ended their lives in the city
during the same time.
The reply
also mentions that during these three years, total 334 students committed
suicide, including 185 males and 149 females, in the mega-city.
The Mumbai
police said in the reply that it does not keep records of the people who
attempted suicide and the reasons why people ended their lives.
Dr YA
Matcheswalla, a psychiatrist in Mumbai, said the main reason for committing
suicide is depression, and now people have started acknowledging that it can be
cured. "Timely diagnosis and treatment is now playing a crucial role in
stopping suicidal tendencies among people," he said.
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