Instilling hope in people and convincing them that there are ways to work around their thoughts at that time could help people.
Published Jul 19, 2023 | 11:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 19, 2023 | 11:09 PM
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At least five youths — four of them students, including an 18-year-old girl — died by suicide over the past week in Bengaluru.
The reasons that compelled them to take the extreme step varied from feeling insulted and humiliated to repression of love.
These youths ended their lives after being left with a feeling of helplessness and impulsiveness, said clinical psychologists.
Aditya Prabhu, a 19-year-old first-semester student pursuing BTech at a private engineering college in the city was allegedly caught copying by his invigilator on Monday, 17 July, during the exams.
Prabhu was allegedly using a smartphone in airplane mode while writing his exams when the invigilator caught him.
The student was sent out of the examination hall immediately. His belongings — including the mobile phone — were confiscated by the college staff.
They then took the student to an adjacent room where he was questioned by other faculty members, after which Prabhu’s parents were informed about the incident. Prabhu’s mother was on the way to college to meet her son’s staff members.
Feeling distressed, Prabhu left the room only to go to the eighth floor of a college building close to the one where he wrote his exams, and jumped to his death.
The incident happened between 12.30 pm and 1 pm on Monday. As his mother was reaching the college, she saw an ambulance and her dead son.
Aditya Prabhu’s father has filed a police complaint against the invigilator and other members of the college management for abetting his son’s suicide.
He alleged that the invigilator told his son that it would be better if he died. The police are investigating further.
In another incident, 22-year-old engineering student Thejas Nair died by suicide at his residence in Bengaluru on 11 July (Tuesday), allegedly after being harassed by loan recovery agents for failing back to pay back what he had borrowed from three instant loan apps.
He was a resident of the HMT Staff Quarters in Jalahalli, and was in the sixth semester of a Mechanical Engineering degree programme at a private college in Yelahanka.
The police found that he had accumulated a debt of ₹46,000 on Chinese loan apps.
According to the police, Thejas left behind a note explaining that he was taking the extreme step due to his inability to repay the loans.
In it, he also apologised to his parents and bid adieu to his family, the police said.
Thejas’ father Gopinath told reporters that the family did not know about the loans until a relative brought to his attention the harassment he was dealing with.
He said his son borrowed money for the first time for a friend, who assured him that he would pay the EMI, but he did not.
He added that as Thejas did not pay the EMIs, miscreants allegedly created morphed images of Thejas and shared them with people he knew — including his friends and relatives.
The Jalahalli police have taken up a case of unnatural death and are investigating. The cops have also sent his mobile phone to the Cybercrime Department for probing the extent of the harassment he was meted out, a senior police officer said.
In yet another incident, an 18-year-old paramedical student allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Hegganahalli on the night of Sunday, 16 July.
The incident occurred under the Rajagopalanagar Police Station limits in Peenya. The deceased was identified as Akshaya, a native of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
According to the police, Akshaya and her friend Nanda Kumar (21), who also hails from Kerala and works with a private firm, had some differences, because of which Akshaya took the extreme step on Sunday night.
Akshaya’s parents, who arrived in the city on Monday, blamed Nanda Kumar for their daughter’s death and also filed a complaint with the Rajagopalnagar police.
The cops asked Nanda Kumar to appear before the investigating officer on Monday for questioning and recording of his statement.
Nanda Kumar arrived at the police station, gave his statement, and was loitering around the station for some time. He then went behind the police station and ended his life.
No one noticed it for some time. When they did, his body was shifted for post-mortem examination.
An 18-year-old engineering student, who claimed that he was kidnapped on Saturday, 15 July, by his uncle and his associates and set on fire for falling in love with his uncle’s daughter, suffered 80 percent burns and succumbed on Tuesday at the Victoria Hospital’s Burns’ Ward, where he was admitted for treatment.
Shashank, a first-year computer science student at a private college in Kengeri and a resident of Rajarajeshwarinagar, said in his statement to the police that his uncle Manu and his associates kidnapped him in a car for having a relationship with his cousin.
He added that they had set him on fire at an isolated place near the Kaniminike toll plaza on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Highway in Kumbalgodu police station limits on Saturday.
However, when the Kumbalgodu police initiated the probe, based on Shashank’s statement and complaint, they discovered that the accused — Manu and associates — were at their native: Haradanahalli in the Chamrajanagar district of Karnataka.
That meant they were around 179 km and more than four hours away from Kumbalgodu when the incident allegedly happened.
Further probe by the cops revealed that Shashank was seen on a CCTV footage walking alone towards the spot he was found injured.
However, since the deceased victim’s dying statement is considered substantial, the police are further investigating.
All these incidents happened in and around Bengaluru in a little over a week, and involved mostly students. Psychologists weighed in.
Clinical psychologist Dr Mary George told South First: “Typically, it is often out of helplessness. When people feel a sense of helplessness, they often seek recourse to it, and that’s when it also tends to be more lethal.”
She added: “Sometimes, helplessness, frustration, and anger can happen together, and one does not see a way out of it due to social consequences. However, it could be due to impulsiveness as well. But then, that would be a pattern and it would be a part of a person’s personality.”
She explained that in all the above-mentioned instances, the victims felt they had no other option.
A lot of suicide helplines and websites focus on instilling hope in people and convincing them that there are ways to work around their thoughts at that time.
From a clinical perspective, the person might be going through a depressive episode, and suicide is one of the features of depressive conditions, said the doctor.
“We don’t find such traits in people with spiritual rooting, anchoring, and who will be able to see the larger picture. They all tend to see the same picture differently. Their ability of problem-solving, emotional stability, and the ability to tolerate frustration is something very crucial for such people,” she said.
“Enhancing the ability to solve problems and negotiate conflicts becomes important life skills. As a society and as a community, we need to build it up. In all of these, a social support network is very crucial: The risk factors decrease,” added the doctor.
Psychologist Dr Pankaj Suneja told South First: “We often see that experiences of disapproval from authority trigger extreme pain. Possibly, we need collective conversations in families and society regarding relationships, the freedom to love, and finding support and resources to prepare for academic life.”
He added: “Young adulthood is a sensitive developmental time, when a person is finding their identity in relationships and career. There is huge pressure and stress during this time, and so mental and emotional support should be accessible.”
If you are having suicidal thoughts or in need of emotional support, call suicide prevention helplines
