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Facebook posts about committing suicide save two men in Barmer district
Ramesh Meghwal, 27, a resident of Barmer, wrote a Facebook post on July 3 that he was going to end his life. He consumed sleeping pills in a hotel room before posting about it.
Timely intervention of family members and police saved two men, who had recently posted on Facebook that they were going to commit suicide.
Ramesh Meghwal, 27, a resident of Barmer, wrote a Facebook post on July 3 that he was going to end his life. He consumed sleeping pills in a hotel room before posting about it.
His post read: “I am fed up with my life. I could neither be a good son nor a good family member. Please forgive me. I am going to commit suicide. Papaji, please forgive me....and my kids, you too. I am doing all this on my own will and nobody is responsible for it.”
Some of Rameh’s friends saw the post and immediately informed his family members. After which, his father asked his relatives in Barmer to rush to the hotel. When they reached the hotel, they found his room door locked from inside. They broke open the door and found an unconscious Ramesh lying on the bed. They rushed him to a hospital where he was saved.
His family told media that he had completed his nursing course from Madhya Pradesh three years ago but could not find a job. He was under mental stress which made him take the extreme step.
In another similar incident, on July 19, Keshar Lal, 30, a resident of Kanod village under Baytoo police station in Barmer, had also attempted suicide. Keshar went to the railway track and started a live video on Facebook.
A weeping Keshar said he was upset with his wife and about to end his life. He also appealed to his friends to take care of his parents and other family members. Police in Baytoo rushed to the spot after being informed. Seeing the men in uniform, Keshar ran away from the place but police managed to find him in three hours. During police counselling, he did not speak and was late released after his family members requested police.
Facebook also looks for posts on patterns of suicidal thoughts using artificial intelligence and human moderators. If the software detects a potential suicide, it alerts a team of Facebook workers who specialise in handling such reports. The system suggests resources to the user or to their friends such as a telephone helpline. Facebook workers sometimes call local authorities to intervene.
