Tank Bund a prime suicide spot

The depth is very high at the upper Bund. It’s a death knell for people jumping from there and it is very difficult to rescue them

Hyderabad: Hussain Sagar (Tank Bund), a favourite spot for tourists and hangout place for locals, of late is in the news for wrong reasons. Unfortunately, the lake has become a ‘prime spot’ for those who want to commit suicides. According to Police Department estimates, about 100 to 120 (both men and women) attempt suicides in the lake.

The ratio of men is much more than females. However, the worst part is that women commit suicides along with their wards. Till May this year, 87 people attempted suicide. Of the total, 18 (three women and 15 men) died and 69 were rescued by the Lake Police personnel. In March alone, 16 women were saved from the death beds.

In 2014, 125 people committed suicide. As many as 83 lives were saved by the police and 42 died. In 2013, 49 (five women and 44 men) took the extreme step and in 2012, 48 (10 women and 38 men) died in the lake. Similarly, in 2011, 50 (11 women and 39 men) committed suicide. According to the Lake Police, maximum deaths took place at the upper Tank Bund area.

“The lake’s depth is very high at the upper Bund. It’s a death knell for people jumping from there and it is very difficult to rescue them. It is easy to rescue them if they jump from places like Lumbini Park, Necklace Road as depth of the lake is less,” Sridevi, Inspector, Lake Police, said. Financial crisis is driving men to attempt suicide, while for women it is due to domestic violence, torture by boyfriends or marriage rejection.

Recently, a small screen actress Harjeet Kaur aka Roopa was saved from attempting suicide. She was rejected by her lover Kewal Singh for a wed lock. Roopa who acted in popular serials like Chandramuki, Auto Bharathi, and Ananthapuram etc was spotted under suspicious conditions on the upper Tank Bund and was rescued by the police. There were several cases of alcoholic men committing suicide because they have no money to drink.

Women, who too are habitual drinkers are also committing suicide for similar reasons. Recently Rajini, 42, a resident of Mettuguda, a habitual drinker from well to do family, attempted suicide when her son pestered her to give up alcohol. She was rescued by the police from the upper Tank Bund area. In another case, Laxmi, 58, who was also habitual boozer, was rescued from taking her life.

By Yuvraj Akula