Most suicides in India were by hanging: NCRB

By Dheeraj Fartode :

Of the total suicide victims, 51.5% ended lives by hanging themselves while 26.7% consumed poison

HANGING was the most adopted mode by majority of the suicide victims in India. As per the available data, of the total suicide cases registered in the year, 51.5 per cent victims ended lives by hanging themselves. Suicide by hanging registered an increase by 0.7 per cent as 49.8 per cent of the suicide victims in 2017 had adopted this mode to end their lives. The revelation came to fore in the data released by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) for year 2018.

According to statistics, in India suicide victims had adopted hanging and consuming poison to end their lives than other modes such as self-inflicted injuries. In 2018, of the total suicide victims, 26.7 per cent had ended their lives by consuming poison as against 27.5 per cent such cases registered in 2017. Near 1 per cent fall in such cases. Similarly, as many as 4.9 per cent victims adopted drowning as mode to commit suicide while 4.4 per cent ended their lives by self-immolation while 1.9 per cent victims jumped to death. The number of male victims was more than females in all means of suicide cases except those who committed suicides by self-immolation.

In suicide by 5,950 victims who adopted such mode 3,809 were females. A total of 53 mega cities having population of over 10 lakh or more registered rise in suicide cases during the period 2015-2018. It increased by 6.2 per cent (from 19,665 in 2015 to 20,879 in 2016) and increased by 1.8 per cent (from 20,879 in 2016 to 21,240 in 2017). It increased by 0.8 per cent (from 21,240 in 2017 to 21,408 in 2018). A total of 64 cases of mass or family suicides were registered during the year 2018.

Of the total 64 such cases, 173 were victims including 119 married and 54 unmarried persons. Maximum cases of mass or family suicides were reported in Tamil Nadu (15 cases) followed by Andhra Pradesh (11 cases), Madhya Pradesh (9), Punjab and Rajasthan (6 cases each) and Kerala (5 cases) during 2017. Total 35 persons in Tamil Nadu, 26 persons in Andhra Pradesh, 24 persons in Kerala and 22 persons in Uttarakhand committed mass or family suicides during 2018.