Three suicides in UP linked to Covid; police, authorities on high alert

Meerut/Bareilly: A 35-year-old vegetable vendor was found hanging from a ceiling fan at a quarantine centre in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli on Thursday, police said, adding

Meerut/Bareilly: A 35-year-old vegetable vendor was found hanging from a ceiling fan at a quarantine centre in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli on Thursday, police said, adding that it is the latest in a spate of suicides linked to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in the state.

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“A ward boy spotted his body hanging from the ceiling fan and chief medical officer Sanjay Bhatnagar informed the authorities about the incident,” said Shamli’s police superintendent Vineet Jaiswal. He added the vendor’s body has been sent for a post mortem examination.

The vendor allegedly committed suicide even as the result of his Covod-19 test was yet to come. He had returned to his village from Delhi on March 30 amid the 21-day lockdown imposed across the country to check the spread of the disease. He was quarantined the next day as he was feeling unwell.

Another 23-year-old migrant worker allegedly committed suicide in Bareilly after escaping from a quarantine centre. Police said he had earlier escaped from the centre twice to meet his family, but was brought back on both occasions.

Sub-divisional magistrate Digvijay Singh said the worker was quarantined following the government’s directions.
“We told him that the isolation was a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of his family members and neighbours. The victim had fled from the camp to meet his family. When police reached the village searching for him, he escaped and was later found hanging.”

Station house officer Chandrakant Singh said it appears that the victim took the extreme step as he started panicking at the quarantine centre despite repeated attempts by officials to make him understand that it was just a precautionary measure. “Authorities provided proper food and other necessary facilities at the centre. We are investigating the matter and a case will be registered based on the findings.”

The 23-year-old was the youngest among six siblings and was quarantined at a school after returning from Gurugram on March 28. He was found hanging on the outskirts of his village after leaving his home upon learning that police were looking for him . Police said his body has been sent for autopsy and the district administration will provide compensation to his family.

In Saharanpur, a 38-year-old clerk was also found hanging from a ceiling fan at his office on Wednesday evening, said circle officer Yatendra Singh Nagar. “A suicide note recovered from his pocket said he was committing suicide because he was afraid of getting infected,” Nagar said.

Saharanpur’s senior police superintendent Dinesh Kumar P said the man committed suicide because he was suffering from depression. His body was sent for post mortem examination.

A farmer suffering from fever and cold committed suicide to “save his entire village from being infected” in Mathura on Tuesday. A young man with similar symptoms hanged himself on March 24 because he feared he was suffering from Covid-19.

Two men committed suicide in Hapur and Bareilly because they also believed that they were suffering from the deadly virus.