In 17 months, 25 suicide attempts at Delhi Metro stations
Data shows that between January 2018 and May 2019, 25 people have attempted suicides on the Delhi Metro tracks. Between 2014 and 2018, 83 people have attempted suicides across all metro stations.
For the second consecutive day on Tuesday, a suicide attempt on the Delhi Metro network slowed down train services. A 22-year-old private security guard jumped before an incoming train at Noida Sector 61 Metro station on the Blue Line (Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida Electronic City).
On Monday, too, a 40-year-old woman died after jumping on the tracks at the Jhandewalan station on the Blue Line.
Data shows that between January 2018 and May 2019, 25 people have attempted suicides on the Delhi Metro tracks. Between 2014 and 2018, 83 people have attempted suicides across all metro stations.
Senior officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said to control such instances, the agency has installed platform screen doors (PSDs) on all the Phase-3 metro stations. Apart from the new stations, these barriers have also been installed at busy stations such as Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Chawari Bazar and Central Secretariat.
“PSDs are a crowd control method but it also acts as a deterrent for suicide attempts. These doors act as a barrier and restrict access between platform and
the tracks,” said a DMRC spokesperson.
What calls for attention is that between 2014 and 2018, the maximum number of suicides were attempted on the Blue Line (connecting Dwarka Sector 21 and Vaishali/Noida Electronic City). Of 83 suicide attempts, 32 people jumped onto the tracks from stations on the Blue Line. However, despite this trend the PSD doors are only installed at the Rajiv Chowk metro station on this line.
A senior Metro official said that apart from the six busy stations on the old Metro lines, the agency has no plans of installing these doors on the Phase-1 and Phase-2 stations.
The DMRC, however, said that they were also initiating other steps to control the number of suicides and attempts in the network. These include campaigns on social media to encourage those in distress to come forward to seek help from their staff, and sensitising the station officials and security personnel to spot any passenger that shows signs of distress.
“DMRC has also put up barriers on the platforms marking the area beyond which passengers are not allowed to go. All passengers are requested to be alert at the platform when metro trains are approaching and stop any fellow passenger who attempts to cross the yellow line before the train comes to a complete halt,” the DMRC said in an email response.
Nimesh Desai, director of Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IBHAS), said a “comprehensive plan” will have to be drawn by the Metro to prevent suicide attempts in their network by coming up with pre- and post-care methods.