Gujarat Hardlook: Stalling Suicides At Sabarmati | Ahmedabad Information

Whereas strolling as much as the Jap facet of Sardar Bridge from Jamalpur, a signboard caught the person’s consideration.

The board had a message: “Suicide just isn’t the answer to your downside”, with a telephone quantity. The person known as up the helpline quantity (1800-233-3330) and reached out to the senior counsellor — the final try at assist.

“I spoke to him for greater than 25 minutes. The person was in dire monetary straits. He was unable to satisfy the financial wants of his household and had financial institution officers knocking on his door to gather the overdue installments. Whereas he did appear receptive of the counselling, he was nonetheless a suicide danger, so we related to the Ahmedabad Police, who reached the spot and rescued him,” mentioned the senior counsellor at JAH, which is run beneath the Suraksha Setu initiative of the Gujarat Police.

Though this man was lucky to have acquired the assistance he deserved, the lacklustre perspective of the Ahmedabad Municipal Company (AMC) in sustaining these vital signboards has meant that others haven’t been so fortunate.

On December 17, an 18-year-old man who had not been capable of finding a job jumped into the Sabarmati river from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bridge that connects the Ashram Street on the Western Financial institution with the Piplaj-Pirana space on the Jap Financial institution. Quickly, the site visitors started to construct up on the bridge with the group of curious onlookers swelling up.

There are a number of instances the place individuals additionally word down the quantity from the signboards… even when they hesitate initially, they name in a while, looking for assist.
Senior counsellor,
Jeevan Aastha Helpline

Individuals had been stopping in the midst of the highway, parking their automobiles and peering down into the murky waters of the Sabarmati because the two-man River Rescue Groups from the Ahmedabad Hearth and Emergency Companies (AFES) tried to seek for the person who had simply climbed onto the 12-feet tall bridge barrier (fence) and tried to finish his life. This occurred round 5:10 pm.

The River Rescue Staff, which had arrived inside a couple of minutes, after gauging the accident spot, launched a search and rescue operation within the river in a grid sample with a dredging software behind their boat.

At the same time as the valuable minutes had been depleting, so was the general public’s consideration span. Individuals appeared to have forgotten {that a} human life was at stake. Some had been busy calling up their family and friends about witnessing the spectacle, whereas others took movies and pictures after which there have been some who had been discussing the futility of rescuing an individual who needed to finish their life within the first place.

After quarter-hour, there was nonetheless no signal of the person and the general public’s curiosity too, appeared to wane, with many driving away after recording the movies on their cellphones. Nevertheless, on the Jap Financial institution of the riverfront, the group solely appeared to develop. At 5:45 pm, there have been shouts of elation because the rescuers grabbed a hand out of the water and pulled the younger man into the boat. Efforts at resuscitation, nevertheless, proved futile.

Earlier there can be a signboard to dissuade suicide precisely behind the place from the place the younger man had jumped on the East finish. However the signboard was lacking and together with it, the promise of assist. And another life, that maybe might have been saved, had been misplaced to the Sabarmati river.

In November 2023, the Ahmedabad Municipal Company (AMC) had arrange signboards towards suicide on seven bridges spanning the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad. These signboards, put up on each side of the bridges, even have the helpline quantity (1800-233-3330), urging individuals in must name and search assist, assuring them a sympathetic ear, a pleasant shoulder and a sort phrase in the meanwhile when all appears misplaced.

Notably, this programme was adopted from the already prevalent marketing campaign on the Narmada Canal in Gandhinagar, the place the JAH had acquired a complete of 508 calls from individuals who learn the signboard between 2015 and 2022. Of those, 322 individuals who had been suicidal had been efficiently talked out of taking the acute step. Of the 322 rescued, 217 even agreed to go for follow-up counselling.

Extra calls, fewer deaths

The JAH has acquired 1,682 extra telephone calls looking for assist between November 2023 and October 2024, in comparison with the identical interval earlier yr. This can be a rise of 34% in individuals calling to hunt assist, mentioned retired Police Inspector Pravin Valera, who continues to information the Jeevan Aastha crew.

In comparison with the 211 instances of individuals falling or leaping into the Sabarmati river between November 2022 to October 2023, the numbers have declined, going to 185, between November 2023 and October 2024, in response to the info from the Ahmedabad Hearth and Emergency Companies (AFES). Additional, the loss of life toll has gone down from 184 (between November 2022 to October 2023) to 153 (between November 2023 to October 2024). In response to the info, 27 individuals had been saved between November 2022 to October 2023 and the quantity was 32 between November 2023 to October 2024.

Loss of life toll over the last decade

Within the final 10 (calendar) years, between 2014 and 2023, a complete of two,206 individuals have fallen or jumped into the Sabarmati river. Of those, 1,755 (75%) individuals died and solely 451 (25%) may very well be saved. This isn’t solely evident from the truth that there are bridge boundaries (fences) throughout nearly all of the bridges over the river, however that there’s a guardrail throughout the whole stretch of the Riverfront.

Bharat Mangela, one in every of solely two members of the River Rescue Staff on the Sabarmati, who is anticipated to avoid wasting everybody over the 11 km size of the Sabarmati riverfront with the assistance of only one colleague and a single boat, says, “Virtually all of the individuals we rescue are those that leap intentionally into the river. The explanations so far as they inform us embrace marital issues, monetary issues, younger love not accepted by household, despair, these in debt, those that can’t management dependancy,” Mangela mentioned. “There have been many instances the place individuals had been affected by most cancers or different main ailments,” Mangela added.

“There are additionally instances the place home fights result in the ladies leaping (into the river) with their kids. Final month itself, a lady who had gone towards her household needs and obtained married was so distraught after her household didn’t invite her for her brother’s marriage ceremony that she tried to leap within the river,” he mentioned.

“Lately, we’ve additionally seen a rise in instances the place individuals opted for suicide as a result of they had been victims of cybercrime and the criminals had threatened to leak their personal movies. Societal disgrace is a good detrimental issue,” mentioned Mangela.

Indicators of neglect

In November 2023, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner M Thennarasan had ordered the set up of the suicide signboards over seven out of the 9 river bridges: Subhash Bridge, Dadhichi Bridge, Gandhi Bridge, Ellisbridge, Nehru Bridge, Sardar Bridge and Ambedkar Bridge. There have been two signboards put in on every bridge, one on the West and the opposite on the East finish, totalling 14 boards in all.

This month, when The Indian Categorical performed a test on the location of the signboards on all seven bridges, solely 4 had been nonetheless in place with no signal of the remainder of boards.

The signboards had been intact solely on each side of the Ellisbridge (Vivekanand), on the West finish of Subhash Bridge, and on the East finish of the Sardar Bridge.

Virtually all of the individuals we rescue are those that leap intentionally into the river. Causes embrace marital issues, monetary points and dependancy, amongst others.
Bharat Mangela, rescue crew member

Whereas Indira Bridge and Atal Foot Bridge have by no means had the signboards, the boards have utterly disappeared off of Dadhichi Bridge, Gandhi Bridge, Nehru Bridge and Ambedkar Bridge, the place that they had been put in final yr. When contacted, Dr Sanket Patel, Assistant Well being Officer of the AMC, who’s answerable for the programme, mentioned that he was unaware that the signboards had been now not there. He promised to look into the matter.

Lackadaisical strategy

At the same time as there are just a few bridges which have the helpline signboards, no such measures have been taken alongside the Sabarmati riverfront, whose lengthy and sometimes darkish stretches are prime spots for individuals “falling” into the river.

A senior counsellor at JAH mentioned, “Lately, we obtained a name from a 25-year-old man who had gone to the Sabarmati riverfront to finish his life. Nevertheless, after seeing one of many signboards on the bridges, he known as the helpline. He mentioned that he needed to finish his life as a result of he had been fired from his job. We efficiently talked him out of the choice. We didn’t must name the police to rescue him”.

“There are a number of instances the place individuals additionally word down the quantity from the signboards, even when they hesitate initially, they name in a while, looking for assist,” the counsellor added. In response to the rescuers additionally, the variety of suicide instances has been rising close to the Riverfront.
The Sabarmati Riverfront Growth Company Restricted (SRFDCL) has put up small indicators that learn, “Don’t take a rash resolution in anger”.

There is no such thing as a helpline quantity or assist supplied on these indicators. When requested about this, Govt Director Dev Choudhary, who can be a Deputy Municipal Commissioner with the AMC, mentioned, “We will definitely be sure that boards with helpline numbers are up on the riverfront, particularly close to the staircases so that individuals can see it instantly whereas getting into the decrease promenade”.

Lack of manpower

The 11-km lengthy riverfront is ready to be prolonged by 5.5 km — making it 38.5 km in size — beneath the Part-2 of the event undertaking, extending to Gandhinagar in seven phases. Nevertheless, even because the size of the riverfront has grown and with it the stream of individuals spending time there, solely two males — who’re part of the AFES River Rescue Staff — have been standing guard there for the final decade.

These two males on a single boat are anticipated to patrol the whole riverfront from finish to finish whereas saving anybody who tries to leap or has fallen into the river. Within the final 10 years, the two-member crew has managed to avoid wasting 451 lives and but this solely contains 25% of all of the individuals who have fallen or jumped into the river.

For a few years now, there have been plans to arrange Hearth Chowkis (smaller hearth models with boats) on each banks of the river however the plans haven’t materialised but. Rescuers say most people they discover are already lifeless. When requested about this, in-charge Chief Hearth Officer (CFO) Jayesh Khadia confirmed that there have been no laborious plans in place as of now.

Police promise motion

Ahmedabad Metropolis Police’s Detection of Crime Department (DCB) earlier in December mentioned that it’ll examine the 9 bridges from the place suicides or tried suicides have taken place with key factors, together with the influence of fences, signboards and helpline.

In response to DCP Ajit Rajian, solely 536 instances of unintentional deaths (AD) have been registered on the Riverfront East and West Police Stations prior to now 5 years.

The police might be bifurcating this knowledge into unintentional deaths and suicides. Nevertheless, knowledge obtained by The Indian Categorical from the River Rescue Staff reveals that there have been a complete of 681 deaths prior to now 5 years, between 2019 and 2023.