India is the ‘vishwa guru’ in suicide: 2.3 lakh Indians end lives every year

coastaldigest.com web desk

September 11, 2019

Newsroom, Sept 11: India, which intends to emerge the ‘vishwa guru’, has unfortunately emerged No. 1 country in suicide cases. According to the World Health Organization’s latest report, India has the highest suicide rate in the South-East Asian region.

The report released a day before World Suicide Prevention Day pegged India’s suicide rate at 16.5 suicides per 100,000 people. Sri Lanka stands second in the region with a suicide rate of 14.6 and Thailand (14.4) third. India also had the third-highest female suicide rate (14.7) in the world after Lesotho (24.4) and Republic of Korea (15.4).

Among the 8 lakh people commit suicide every year in the world, over 2.3 lakh people are Indians alone, according to the WHO report. This means every four minutes, one person dies by suicide.

Suicide is responsible for more deaths than malaria, breast cancer, war or even homicide, according to the WHO. It was the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds, claiming 200,000 lives in 2016, topped only by road injury.

It also ranked second among women (after maternal conditions) in the same age group and third among men (after road injury).

Suicide is the third-most deadly for 15-19 years age group. Among men, it was second only to road injury and was on the third position among females.

More than 50 per cent of the suicides globally were committed by people younger than 45 years, read the report. Also, it added, 90 per cent of the adolescents who kill themselves are from low- and middle-income countries.

“While most of the world’s suicides happen in low- and middle-income countries (79 per cent), high-income countries had the highest age-standardised suicide rate (11.5 per 100,000),” according to the report.

Even though high-income countries had the highest male suicide rate, it had the lowest suicide rate among females.

Guyana has the highest male suicide rate and in Lesotho topped in the female suicide rate.

A region-wide comparison by the WHO found that, South-East Asia has the highest female suicide rate (11.5 per 100,000), much higher when compared to the global female average of 7.5.

On a similar note, Europe had the highest male suicide rate (21.1 per 100,000) amongst all the regions, the global average being 13.7. Eastern Mediterranean region fared the best in terms of male, female as well as overall suicide rates, with the lowest numbers in both the categories.

In the years between 2010 and 2016, it was seen that global suicide rates decreased by 9.8 per cent with the Western Pacific region experiencing the highest decline (19.6 per cent) and South-East Asia the lowest (4.2 per cent).

While all the other regions showed a decline, the Americas saw a rise in overall suicide rates by 6 per cent in the same period.

Even though most regions are seeing a decline in suicide rates, the existing rate of decline is not enough to meet global targets to reduce suicide mortality, read the report.

Suicide being a preventable cause of death, it becomes imperative to strengthen ongoing efforts to implement effective suicide prevention interventions, said the WHO.

Restricting access to means of suicide, interaction with the media for responsible reporting, training young people in their life skills, and early identification, management and follow-up, are some of measures the UN health agency recommended.

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SIT raids rape accused BJP MLA Munirathna’s residence, 15 other locations

News Network

September 28,2024

Bengaluru, Sep 28: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing charges against arrested Karnataka BJP MLA N. Munirathna Naidu, including allegations of rape, honey-trapping, and other offences, on Saturday conducted raids at his residence and 15 other locations across the city.

Sources confirmed that the raids were taking place at his Vyalikaval residence and other properties owned by the BJP MLA. The operation is being conducted by the SIT under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) led by ACP Kavitha.

The team is examining documents, electronic devices, and other materials related to the rape and honey-trapping case. The SIT is being supported by experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), with Superintendent of Police (SP) Sowmya Latha also participating in the search and inspection at Munirathna’s Vyalikaval residence.

According to sources, the raids were triggered by information provided by the victim, who alleged that Munirathna recorded footage of sexual assaults and used it to blackmail politicians and public servants, including IAS and IPS officers.

The victim reportedly revealed that she was used to entrap the woman who had lodged a rape case against a senior IFS officer. She was allegedly instructed to frame the rape victim in a drug peddling case.

The complainant told police that she was tasked with capturing compromising videos of the rape victim who had filed the case against the IFS officer. She claimed that, after several failed attempts to obtain the videos, the victim was drugged with sleeping pills, and obscene footage was recorded without her consent. Later, the IFS officer was bailed out from the charges.

Furthermore, the complainant has accused MLA Munirathna of raping her at his office within the state legislature, in his official vehicle, and at his godown. She has alleged that he recorded videos of these assaults.

Police sources also revealed that the victim in the MLA's case provided details of a plot involving sending HIV-infected women to Munirathna's targets in an attempt to ruin them politically and personally. She also disclosed the names of several politicians whom she had entrapped through honey-trapping.

The woman further claimed that Munirathna had threatened to have her son kidnapped and killed if she refused to comply with his demands. According to her, the MLA had a well-organised team dedicated to carrying out these honey-trapping operations, and she provided details about his close associates and relatives involved in the scheme.

Munirathna, who was in judicial custody following his arrest in the rape and honey-trap case, has now been taken into the custody of the SIT.

The MLA was transferred from Bengaluru Central Jail to the CID office on the night of September 24. The BJP legislator, however, has denied all the allegations, claiming they are false.

Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Suresh had alleged that Munirathna was trying to infect his adversaries with HIV and that the government should investigate the matter.

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