Bengaluru: An air hostess, who flew down to Bengaluru from Dubai to meet her male friend died allegedly by suicide during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The incident took place on the premises of Renuka Residency in the Koramangala locality.
The deceased was identified as 28-year-old Archana from Himachal Pradesh. She worked for a reputed airline company and had come down from Dubai to meet her friend Adesh, an IT professional. Adesh hailed from Mangaluru and is working in Bengaluru. Both were in a relationship for the past 6 months. "There was a fight between the two late at night. After that, this incident happened. In this regard, we are checking the CCTV footage of the apartment and surroundings. The investigation is going on," South East Division DCP CK Babu said.
He added that the body was shifted to Saint John's hospital for post-mortem. The police are probing all angles in the case. As for the cases of suicides among women, data portrays a grim picture. In 2021, a staggering 45,026 women died by suicide in India, equating to nearly one every nine minutes. Shockingly, over half of these deaths (23,178) were housewives, with an average of 63 housewives taking their lives every day. While men accounted for more suicides overall (118,979), the incidence of suicide was higher among females under the age of 18.
The top causes of suicide included family problems, love affairs, and exam failures, among others. These findings from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2022 highlight troubling trends, revealing deep-seated issues with women's mental health and social status in India. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from the government and society to improve access to mental health services, promote gender equality and women's empowerment, and tackle the root causes of poverty and social isolation.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).
