JANAKPUR, March 28: In the last two-and-a-half years, as many as 1,272 people of Province 2 have committed suicide, according to data maintained by the District Police Office (DPO), Dhanusha.
A total of 581 male and 691 females committed suicide from the start of fiscal year 2015/16 till February of the current fiscal year, according to police. In the last month alone, from mid-February and mid-March, about a dozen people of the province were recorded to have committed suicide.
In Dahnusha alone, as many as 35 people committed suicide in the past eight months of the current fiscal year. Overall in the whole province, the number of people committing suicide in the current FY stood at 251.
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Likewise, the police data shows that 570 people in the province had committed suicide in the last fiscal year while the number stood at 451 in FY 2015/16.
However, police say the recorded data actually misrepresents the actual extent of suicide. A high-ranked police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said 25 percent of suicide cases are not reported to the police. Accurate data would reveal even more frightening scenario, the officer said.
According to police, most of those who committed suicide are youths. In the past eight months of the current fiscal year, 86 people who committed suicide in the province belonged to age group of 21-30.
After youths, adolescents from 10-20 age group have the highest suicide rate, followed by the age group of 31-40. In the past eight months, 72 adolescent from 10-20 age group and 54 people from 31-40 age group had committed suicide.
According to Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Bijaya Lal Kayastha, poverty is the main reason behind the increasing suicide rate.
“Police investigations have unraveled different reasons for committing suicide. But we have found poverty to be the most common reason,” said AIG Kayastha. “Some people commit suicide due to guilt of committing crime while others commit crime after being overwhelmed by emotions,” he added.
On the other hand, social activist Suni Yadav expressed a different view. According to him, most of the people commit suicide as a result of foreign employment. “Foreign employment is not only the source of remittance but it also makes many people vulnerable enough to commit suicide,” he said.
“Some women whose husbands are abroad become involved in extramarital affairs and even become pregnant. Many women in such situation opt for suicide as they cannot confront the society,” Yadav added.
