Private school teacher allegedly commits suicide in Budgam

Srinagar, Jul 26: A 27-year-old private school teacher allegedly committed suicide by hanging self in central Kashmir district of Budgam, official sources said on Monday.

They said panic gripped a village in Beerwah in Budgam when a woman (name withheld) was found hanging from the ceiling of her room by other family members late last evening. “The woman was immediately taken to a hospital, where she was declared brought dead,” they said.

They said it was not immediately clear why she took this extreme step, adding police has registered a case and initiated investigation to ascertain the circumstance which forced her to commit suicide.

After completing all the legal and medical formalities, the body of the deceased was handed over to her relatives for last rites.

The number of suicides in the Kashmir valley since the outbreak of the second way of COVID-19 pandemic has witnessed a significant increase.

Experts claim that the jump in the number of suicides is related to the deterioration of the mental health of people due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are various factors that affect the mental health of a person. During the current pandemic, people are stressed and have anxieties due to job loss, limited income, COVID related deaths and other factors. On top of this, due to restrictions, people were confined to their homes due to COVID curfew… all this has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of people,” they said.

Meanwhile, in view of the rise in the number of mental health issues, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) last month launched a 24×7 mental health helpline 'SUKOON' at its headquarters. This initiative aims to guide the caller to avail services of clinical psychologists, therapists, counsellors and psychiatrists and provide round-the-clock one-to-one support, free and confidential services to those experiencing mental health issues.

To access 24x7 services, one has to dial the toll-free number 1800-1807159.