The past few months have been an extremely stressful time for many of us, and it is important for us to take care of our mental well-being alongside our physical health. But what has been heartening is that cops and social media platforms have previously risen to the occasion and rescued people from possible self-harm. For instance, a Mumbai man thanked cops for saving his life after he tweeted to ask permission for suicide, or how Delhi cops and the MEA raced against time to save a woman who warned UK PM Boris Johnson that she may take her own life.
As per a report in The Indian Express, Anyesh Roy, DCP (CyPAd) received a call alert from the Facebook office in the US about a certain “live” video on Friday at around 12:50 AM. In the clip, a man from Delhi said that he “couldn’t bear all this and wants to end his life” as he was trying to self-harm.
This reportedly happened after the man got into a fight with his neighbours after they allegedly passed some remarks at him.
DCP Roy explained, “From the video, it looked like the man had locked himself inside a room. We could hear his child requesting him to open the door. He was traced to Delhi but the number linked to the account was switched off. I called the CyPAD’s technical team to get his address.” The police managed to trace his location to Palam, Dwarka.
The cyber cell then shared the information with the Palam village’s district team. The police added, “We also shared the Facebook live clip with the Delhi Police Command Room to activate nearby PCR vans and Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs).”
Two policemen reached his residence at around 2 AM and found him sitting on the stairs in a pool of blood. The police stated, “We rushed him to a nearby clinic but doctors said he had multiple deep cuts on his hands and is critical. There was excessive blood loss. He was then rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre and is stable now.”
The man works as a sweet shop owner and lives with his mother and two young children aged 4 and 5. The police said that he has been left “depressed and vulnerable” ever since his wife passed away in the year 2016. The tussle with his neighbors turned out to be a breaking point for him, after which he recorded the video and allegedly tried to take his own life.
As per the police, he had started shooting the video outside his house, and then later locked himself in his room. His family members tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen. The police concluded, “We have admitted him to AIIMS and doctors referred him to the psychiatry department. His family and neighbors said he isn’t well.”
We hope that the man is guided towards better ways of navigating through a tough life. Kudos to the Delhi Police and all the other authorities involved for their swift action in rescuing him.
(If you’re feeling suicidal, or have suicidal thoughts, please know that help is just a call away. Here is a compilation of state-wise suicide helpline numbers operating in India).