Delhi’s new horror: One suicide every 17 hours

The current week began on a sinister note and culminated in the deaths of at least seven persons, as the Capital reported one suicide every 17 hours till Friday evening.

The current week began on a sinister note and culminated in the deaths of at least seven persons, as the Capital reported one suicide every 17 hours till Friday evening.

Failed love affairs pushed Shivani Rana, 17, a student of pharmacy in Saket, to hang herself from the ceiling fan in her hostel room and Sunil Kumar, 25, an MA from Sonepat, to jump from a flyover at Mukarba Chowk in northwest Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

In the coming days, alleged cruelty by their husbands was to ensure a similar fate for two married women residing in south Delhi within hours of each other on Wednesday.

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"The victims hung themselves to death in all but one case that was reported early on Friday morning, and were all aged between 15 and 29 years. Five of them were urban-educated and professional women," said a senior police officer.

According to the Delhi Police, 429 men and 363 women aged between 15 and 29 years accounted for more than half, or 51%, of the total number of suicide cases reported last year.

"While 58 cases were attributed to unsuccessful love affairs, family problems claimed the lives of 339 persons. Seventy-two persons ended their lives due to illness. The cause of the suicides could not be ascertained in 603 cases," the officer said.

'Family problems' are what seem to have driven both Sonu, 19, a labourer and Sonali, 27, to kill themselves, while 21-year-old Rani ended her life due to a 'hideous' plastic surgery on her hands on Thursday.

Meanwhile, marital discord and harassment by their husbands pushed Tina Gogna, 25, a dentist and Swati Sharma, 25, an administrative officer in an insurance company, to hang themselves in south Delhi.