Suicidal Attempts and Deaths (Behavior) in Kolkata Metro; a Record Based Descriptive Study
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Suicidology Online 2017 ISSN 2078-5488 Original Article Suicidal Attempts And Deaths (Behavior) In Kolkata Metro; A Record Based Descriptive Study. Shatanik Mondal1, Rivu Basu 2, Abhishek Paul1, Suresh Chandra Malick1, Partha Saha1 , Somdipta Bhattacharya1 1Post-Graduate trainee, Department of Community Medicine, R.G.Kar.Medical.College, Kolkata, West Bengal. 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, R.G.Kar.Medical.College, Kolkata, West Bengal. Submitted to SOL: September 13th, 2016; accepted: April 07th,2017; published online: June 18th, 2017 Abstract: Background: The undesirable and undoubtedly the saddest shortcoming of Kolkata Metro Railways, a unique transport system is that, it is being frequently used as place for suicide. Present study attempted to develop a profile of characteristics of the suicidal behavior and make recommendations with the help of such profile, for construction of strategies to prevent or at least to reduce such detrimental actin Kolkata Metro Rail in future. Materials and Methods: The record of last five years (from 2010 to 2014) of suicidal deaths and attempts in Kolkata metro were collected. Results: Among total 94 cases 68.1% were male. Majority (29.0%), of the cases belonged to 20 to 30 years age group. 60.7% of victims died at spot or at hospital and rests were rescued. Maximum number of cases occurred in station Kalighat and Sovabazar-sutanuti. Discussion and Conclusion: This study gave valuable insights into distribution and behavior pattern of people committing or attempting suicide in Kolkata Some of the findings were strikingly similar to the findings of other studies, whereas some were different. Keywords: Suicide, Suicidal attempts in Kolkata Metro Rail Copyrights belong to the Author(s). Suicidology Online (SOL) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal publishing under the Creative Commons Licence 3.0. Kolkata Metro Railways is the first underground Presently it extends from Noapara near Netaji Metro railway in India (Light Rail Transit Subhas Chandra Bose Air Port, Kolkata to Kavi Association, 2015). Soon after Independence in Subhash station near Patuli, the busy North-South 1947, the transport problem of Kolkata drew the axis of Kolkata over a length of 27.223 kilometers attention of city planners and it was soon realized and 270 services are being run on normal that something had to be done and quickly in order weekdays from 6:45 am to 10:45 pm to carry about to cope with the situation. To solve the problems 543,000 of passengers on an average per day with the idea of building an Underground Railway for peak volume touching 690,000 on certain days. Kolkata came out and the foundation stone of the But apart from the above mentioned good things project was laid on 29 December 1972 and the the undesirable and undoubtedly the saddest construction work started in 1973-74. First service shortcoming of this unique transport system is began on October 24, 1984 and the full stretch had that, it is being frequently used as place for suicide been completed and operational by February 1995 (Roychowdhury U.B. et al, 2009). There have been (Metro Railways, Kolkata, 2015). many cases where people jumped in front of the running trains whilethe trains were entering the Corresponding Author: Dr Rivu Basu, [email protected], platforms in their suicidal attempt. Kolkata Metro 9830844035 Rail coaches collects electricity from the ‘Third Rail’ which runs all along the railway track and which 1 Suicidology Online 2017 ISSN 2078-5488 becomes ‘live’ only when a train approaches the metro rail: A prospective study” (Chowdhury A.N. station. Though it lies farthest from the passengers et al., 2000) But again both the above mentioned waiting on the platform, the ‘third rail’ has studies were carried around during the year 2007- increased manifold the opportunity of committing 08. Since then to till date, Kolkata Metro Railways suicide by electrocution apart from mechanical has undergone many changes (The extension of injuries. This is proved by the fact that even in Line 1 to an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to cases where brakes of the trains were applied New Garia was constructed and opened in two effectively, the victims died due to electrocution. phases, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in Along with it, during postmortem examination, 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. The many of them showed evidence of electrocution in latest extension constructed was the 2.59 km addition to the mechanical injuries caused by the elevated corridor from Dum Dum to Noapara on 10 trains. July 2013) which increased the number of stations There are approximately 135 subway systems (in from 17 in 2008 to 24 till date and henceforth India which is synonymous with the word “Metro increased the number of commuters as well. Railways”) that exist in the metropolitan areas of Furthermore the completion of the under countries worldwide (Gershon R.R.M. et al., 2005). construction and proposed several other metro Metro rails operate at a high speed and frequency projects in Kolkata will only increase the above within urban areas and occupy pathways that are mentioned tally in near future. So the need of the independent from other forms of traffic. (About hour is to do a study on recent trends of suicidal UrbanRail.Net, 2015). That’s why they provide a deaths and attempts in Kolkata Metro Railways. unique environment within which suicidal behavior In this background the present study attempted to occurs. develop a profile of characteristics of the suicidal Although absolute number and proportion of behavior and make recommendations with the metro railway suicide attempts and deaths may help of such profile, for construction of strategies not be particularly high in comparison to total to prevent or at least to reduce such detrimental number of suicide for a particular country or region actin Kolkata Metro Rail in future. and specific time period (In India the percentage share of the means adopted in committing suicides Method by ‘Coming under running vehicles/train’ and ‘Self- In order to assess the recent trends, the record of electrocution’ both taken together for the year last five years (from 2010 to 2014) of suicidal 2010, 2011 and 2012 were 4.0, 4.1 and 3.8 deaths and attempts in Kolkata metro were respectively (Ratnayake R. et al., 2007) , but such collected. Proper and required official procedures an event in a metro rail system represents a ‘public and formalities were strictly followed while death’ which is likely to distress and traumatize the collecting the data from Kolkata Metro officials and train driver (Suicides in India, retrieved 2015) and consent was taken from the authorities for doing may also severely affect thecommuters who such a study. It was a record based descriptive witness the cruel incident as well as the mutilated study. Total enumeration of all the cases (total 94 body (Tranah T. & Farmer R.D.T., 1994). Surplus to cases) of suicidal behavior in above mentioned last that it also results in loss of valuable time for lot of five years were done. For the purpose of the commuters/passengers during peak hours standardization, after extensive review of related caused by the delay in resuming the services, and relevant articles, the operational definition of which provides these incidents an economical different suicidal behavior in metro rails/subway angel to think about. For these reasons these system was finalized. The term ‘Suicide’was suicides are perceived as serious public health defined as a self-harming behavior, with intent, issues in metropolitan cities around the world. that involves the metro rails and results in death (O’Donnell I. & Farmer R.D.T., 1992, 1994) and the term‘Suicidal Attempt’ was defined as a Henceforth attempts to promote and adopt self-harming behavior, with intent, that involves strategies which may prevent suicides by this the metro rails and does not result in death. method are urgently warranted. (Ratnayake R. et al., 2007) Data was collected Studies performed globally have yielded regarding year, time and minth of suicide, age and remarkably similar findings of characteristics that sex of the subject. are suggestive of an association with suicides or Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 10 attempt in subway system. But studies on Kolkata spreadsheet and analyzed with SPSS software Metro suicides are extremely rare and only two version16.0 (Statistical Package for the Social such is known so far “Suicides in Kolkata metro Sciences 16.0 for Windows, release 16.0.0. railway” (Roychowdhury U.B. et al., 2009) and Chicago: SPSS Inc. IL, USA). “Eco-psychiatry: suicidal behaviour at Calcutta 2 Suicidology Online 2017 ISSN 2078-5488 Results found among individuals of more than 60 years Total 94 cases (both suicidal deaths and attempts age. Among all the 94 cases during the above taken together) had occurred during the five years mentioned period (2010 -14) maximum numberof study period. Figure 1 shows the suicides according cases occurred in station Kalighat and Sovabazar- to years, it is evident that the attampts have sutanuti (11 cases in each station). decreased in number. According to table 1, Figure 2 shows that, maximum number (30 cases) majority (29.0%, 27 out of 93 as age of a single of cases occurred between 4 pm to 8 pm which victim was not available) of the cases belonged to was followed by 28 cases which occurred between 20 to 30 years age group. 60.7% (57 out of 94) 8 am to 12 pm. Figure 3 suggests that, among the victims died at spot or at hospital and rests (39.3%, week days highest proportion of cases occurred on 37 out of 94) were rescued. Among male victims Monday (22.3%, 21 out of 94).