South India tops in suicides : NCRB

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

Four southern states — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra — account for 50.2 per cent of suicides reported in the country in 2011.

AP accounted for 11.1 per cent of overall suicides. The suicide rate for men is almost double that for women.

The National Crime Records Bureau suicide data for India reveals that at least 13 people end their lives every day due to failure of love affairs and 7 people end their lives due to failure in examinations. Most suicides are due to family problems, illness, poverty, and dowry disputes.

In AP it is bankruptcy and sudden change in the economic condition that is driving large numbers of people to end their lives. The most disturbing is the finding that a large number of those who chose to end their lives are below the age of 29.

S. Suresh Reddy, a child rights activist says, “There is tremendous pressure on children and youth from both schools and parents to perform very well in exams. This is driving them to end their lives if they fail. Youngsters also tend to end their lives if a love affair fails.” He says counselling centres must be set up in colleges and schools.

The suicide clock released by NCRB reveals that for every hour, 16 suicides are reported in the country and every day, 372 suicides are reported, out of which 242 are of males and 131 are of female.

In Andhra Pradesh, around 15,077 persons ended their lives in 2011 due to various reasons. There were 1.35 lakh suicides countrywide.