KV Network

Increased suicides a concern

Increased suicides a concern
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The past two weeks have once again witnessed increased suicides in Jammu and Kashmir raising serious concerns among the society members at large.
Reports said that during the past two weeks nearly 15 suicide cases were reported in Jammu division alone while Kashmir valley also witnessed a surge in cases.
Suicides is emerging as one of the major challenges for social scientists across the globe as every year over 75 lakh people commit studies with India’s share at a whopping 17 per cent.
Ironically, suicide is the second-largest cause of death among people across the globe and it’s believed that it will surpass and become first in the next 10 years (2030) if the increased number of suicides is any indication.
Suicides have proven to be the easiest of escape routes for many people especially among those whose will power is not so strong to take on the challenges that threaten them. This stands true for civilians as well as the men in uniform.
In Jammu and Kashmir we have been dealing with the issue of suicides among the people since the past three decades. Primarily, because of the conflict and the underlying reasons behind it, we have witnessed a phenomenal increase in the number of suicides, mostly affecting the young population.
Though we are still fighting to tide over the crises there seems to be no end in sight for the time being.
Suicides have also witnessed an increased trend among the various security personnel associated with various forces. In Jammu and Kashmir we have witnessed an increased tendency among the forces personnel as well to tend to commit suicide. Though the issue may be a matter for research as to what exactly is leading them to end their life, but the figures that have been revealed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicate that the trend is not witnessing a decline.
Notably, the CAPF personnel as well as civilians have been taking the extreme step and this trend is witnessing an increase. A total of 36 CAPF personnel killed themselves during 2019, with 14 of them (38.9 per cent) due to family problems and three due to service-related issues. The trend continued in 2020 as well.
However, a much deeper analysis is sought to come to the actual reasons that force the CAPF personnel to resort to the means that not only becomes a lifelong misery for the family members but also leads to lowering of morale among their colleagues.
Suicide rate both among the civilians and the CAPF personnel is on the higher side when we talk about our region. This should sound alarm bells for the governments which needs to come out with a long term plan to deal with the issue effectively.
All this becomes more important because the current pandemic has also led to low level of confidence among the people. This coupled with various other societal needs has increased the stress levels that need to be looked into.


KV Network

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