Worrisome: Three suicides over corona scare in three days

Pankaj Jaiswal and Rajeev Mullick

Pankaj Jaiswal and Rajeev Mullick

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LUCKNOW Uttar Pradesh has not seen any Covid-19 death, but has reported three suicides over virus scare in different parts of the state in the last three days.

While 34 people have tested positive in the state – one person each in Bareilly, Hapur, and Kanpur killed themselves reportedly suspecting that they had contracted the deadly infection.

India reported its first coronavirus scare suicide on Wednesday when a 35-year-old man, who had returned from Sydney on Wednesday and moved to Safdarajung Hospital Delhi on suspicion of being infected with coronavirus, allegedly ended his life. He had jumped off the hospital building in the night, said the Delhi police.

But what is worrisome in UP about the three suicides is that neither of these persons had any foreign travel history nor did any authority consider them Covid-19 suspects.

A 26-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in a village of Kanpur’s Sachendi on Tuesday apprehending that he had contracted coronavirus infection, after his return from a vacation in Madhya Pradesh, said police..

He was found hanging in his room on the second floor of the house, said Pradyumn Singh SP (Kanpur rural). The deceased was a a post graduate in education stream and was teaching children at his house in Binor village.

On Sunday morning, a 30-year-old barber in Pilakhua town in Hapur slit his throat with his razor, suspecting himself as a case of coronavirus, said police. He reportedly left a suicide note citing Covid-19 as a reason for his extreme step.

Investigating teams are examining his suicide note. Station house officer (SHO) of Pilakhua, Mahaveer Singh, said that it appeared he killed himself in the wee hours. The police reported the matter to the health officials. The health department reached the house, sanitized it, and collected samples of the family and the victim and sent them for lab test.

The victim had complained of fever and had approached doctors in Modinagar for treatment. After that, he also developed a sore throat.

“He returned home on Saturday night, asked me to sleep in another room with the children,” said the deceased’s wife who found him dead in the morning.

In the Bareilly incident, a youth jumped before a freight train at the Bareilly railway station on Sunday. His identity could not be established, but an eyewitness -- a railway employee -- reported to police that the youth had been sitting at the station and was repeatedly mumbling that he was a corona victim and would not survive.

“He was sitting on a bench at the platform and looked upset. He took out money from his pocket and gave it to a beggar and then moved towards the track. Before we could realize, he jumped before a goods train,” said the railway employee.

‘Over-reaction or under-reaction not needed’

“It is easy to succumb to fear in the face of uncertainty and unpredictability of coronavirus pandemic. These three individuals may have committed suicide in apprehension of Covid-19. Still, what we need to understand that UP has not reported any corona death. Younger people have recovered in weeks even if they tested positive for coronavirus,” said Dr Manini Srivastava, assisstant professor, psychology at Lucknow University.

“One should not panic. Over-reaction or under-reaction is not the need of the hour. We need to be vigilant and take necessary precautions and rule out factors that create anxiety,” she said.

Don’t hesitate in seeking help. At the same time, self-isolation doesn’t mean we stop connecting. We can stay at home and still connect via the Internet, added Srivastava.

Stay safe, stay positive and follow the advisories that government and its health agencies are issuing, she emphasized.