Page 3 - Suicides

SC forms task force to address students' mental health, prevent suicides

The Supreme Court on Monday said the "relentless pressure" to perform in a purely score-based education system and the "extreme competition" for limited seats in premier educational institutions put a "terrifying burden" on students' mental health. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan was cognisant of the rising incidents of student suicides on college campuses and in higher educational institutions when it said it was high time to formulate comprehensive guidelines to mitigate the underlying causes contributing to such students' distress. "Universities must acknowledge their role not just as centres of learning but as institutions responsible for the well-being and holistic development of their students," the bench said. The court went on, "The failure to do so would mean failing the very purpose of education to uplift, empower, and transform lives." The bench constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to address the mental health concerns of students and prevent incide

Man behind PM Modi's Project Cheetah, Vincent Van Der Merwe, found dead

Vincent Van Der Merwe (42) was a 'cheetah expert' from South Africa. He was found dead in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Vincent was the expert who advised the Indian government on 'Project Cheetah'

Disha Salian case: Amid protest, Aaditya Thackeray says will reply in court

Members of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Thursday raised the Disha Salian death controversy in both houses of Maharashtra legislature, leading to heated exchanges, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray said he would give reply to the allegations against him in the court. A day after Disha's father Satish Salian demanded a fresh probe in her death, the issue was raised by Ameet Satam (BJP) in the Assembly. Disha, former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died or was killed on June 8, 2020, Satam said. "Police termed the death as suicide....An SIT was formed in December 2022, but no report has been submitted yet. But social media is full of speculation about whether a party was going on when she died, whether she was killed,' he said. 'Salian's father has said he suspects his daughter was gang-raped and murdered. He has filed a petition. The previous MVA government suppressed the case. The then Mayor met him, misled him, and pressurized him not to ..

Techie suicide: HC to not interfere with FIR lodged against wife, in-laws

In a suicide abetment case of an IT executive, the Allahabad High Court has refused to interfere with the FIR lodged against his wife and in-laws in Agra. A bench comprising Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Prashant Kumar passed the order Wednesday on a writ petition filed by Nipendra Kumar Sharma, father-in-law of Manav Sharma, who committed suicide, and three others. After perusal of the impugned FIR, the court observed, "Prima facie, it reveals commission of cognizable offence. Therefore, in view of the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of state of Haryana and others vs. Bhajan Lal and others, no case has been made out for interference with the impugned FIR." The court said, "Therefore the writ petition is dismissed leaving it open for the petitioner to apply before the competent court for anticipatory bail as permissible under." The FIR under BNS section 108 was lodged on February 28 this year at the Sadar Bazar police station, accusing Manav's w

IFS officer dies after jumping from building in Delhi's Chanakyapuri

An Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer ended his life by jumping from the fourth floor of a building in the Chanakyapuri area here on Friday, a police officer said. Police confirmed the death and said no foul play was suspected. Sources said the officer was undergoing treatment for depression and his mother was staying with him on the first floor of the MEA Society. "The deceased has been identified as Jitendra Rawat, aged 35 to 40 years. We have launched an investigation into the matter," the officer said. "Initial probe suggested that his wife and children are staying in Dehradun. He was staying on the first floor and went to the fourth floor and jumped," said the source.

Baywatch fame actress Pamela Bach dies by suicide at the age of 62

Pamela Bach, who rose to fame for her roles in Baywatch and Knight Rider, died on March 5 by suicide at the age of 62

KIIT suicide case: NHRC team meets Odisha Police, continues probe

An NHRC team, which is probing into the death of a 20-year-old Nepalese girl student at the KIIT University here, has met senior police officers of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate, officials said. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team began its inquiry into the incident on Thursday, and would continue the exercise on Friday, they said. During the day, they could meet senior KIIT officials and its founder Achyuta Samanta, the officials said. We have met the NHRC team at the state guest house and gave all pertinent information to them. A liaison officer has been specifically assigned to support and facilitate the ongoing investigation by the rights panel, Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh told reporters here. He along with Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena met the rights panel representatives on Thursday night. They have offered all cooperation to the NHRC team members and apprised them of the situation, under which the girl allegedly died by suicide, another ...

IFS officer dies by suicide in Delhi's Chanakyapuri, jumps from 4th floor

The police confirmed the death and said there was no suspicion of wrongdoing

Singer Kalpana Raghavendar hospitalised after suspected suicide attempt

Telugu playback singer Kalpana Raghavendar has been hospitalised after a suspected suicide attempt at her Hyderabad residence. The reason behind this extreme step is still not known

5 dead in suicide bomb attack at seminary in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A top cleric and four worshippers were killed and 20 others injured in a blast triggered by a suicide bomber during Friday prayers at a seminary in northwest Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province ahead of the fasting month of Ramazan, police said. The blast claimed the life of Hamidul Haq Haqqani, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) and caretaker of the Madrassa-e-Haqqania, located in Akora Khattak town of Nowshera district, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah confirmed. Born in 1968, Hamidul Haq became chief of his JUI (Sami Group) after the death of his father Maulana Sami ul Haq. IGP, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed said it is suspected to be a suicide bombing and Hamidul Haq appeared to be the target. We had provided six security guards to Hamidul Haq, he said. DPO Nowshera district Abdur Rasheed said the blast occurred during Jumma' prayer. The Darul Uloom Haqqania madrassa propagates the Hanafi Deobandi school of Sunni Islam. It was founded by .

Rising student suicides put focus on India's mental health debate

From 'coaching capital' Kota in Rajasthan to industrialised Maharashtra, young people are battling stress

KIIT issue: Unhappy with reply, BJD, Cong stage walkout in Odisha Assembly

The opposition BJD and Congress on Friday staged a walkout in the Odisha Assembly expressing dissatisfaction with the state Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj's reply to the debate on the KIIT issue. Members cutting across party lines expressed disappointment with what happened at KIIT after the death of a Nepalese student in her hostel room. The BJD and Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter but the state government did not respond to their request. The minister said law will take its course and whoever is guilty will be punished. The unrest in KIIT began after the alleged suicide of 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a student from Nepal, on Sunday afternoon. Other Nepalese students staged agitation and demanded justice. However, the KIIT authorities issued suspension notices to about 1,000 Nepalese students and asked them to leave the campus on Monday. Following the intervention of the Centre and the state government, the KIIT authorities had tendered an apolog

India's suicide death rate drops 30% from 1990 to 2021: Lancet study

The Lancet study observed a more significant decline in suicide rates among females compared to males in India

KIIT launches scholarship in memory of Nepalese student amid backlash

The KIIT suicide case has led to diplomatic concerns between Nepal and India as the Nepalese government warned that it might reconsider sending students to Indian institutions if justice is not served

KIIT suicide row: Appealed to students to return to University, says police

Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu also mentioned that officials had held talks with the Nepali delegation

KIIT University suicide case: Nepali student's death sparks diplomatic row

KIIT suicide row: The Nepali student, a third-year BTech Computer Science major, died allegedly by suicide following alleged physical and verbal abuse by her 21-year-old batchmate

KIIT suicide: Staffers apologise over viral remark against Nepali students

Two staff members were recorded making remarks that drew comparisons between the university's budget and Nepal's national budget, sparking widespread criticism

Kerala Cong MLA, 3 others booked for abetment in party worker's suicide

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan stated that the Congress party would conduct its own internal investigation alongside the police inquiry

Indie filmmaker Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza's husband, found dead at LA home

Writer-director Jeff Baena, whose darkly comedic independent films included The Little Hours and who was married to his frequent creative collaborator Aubrey Plaza, has died. He was 47. Baena was found dead on Friday morning at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. The circumstances of his death remained unclear on Saturday, and the office said it was investigating and a full report would not be available until the case is closed. Baena co-wrote David O. Russell's 2004 film I Heart Huckabees and wrote and directed five of his own films, four of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He had been dating Plaza for three years before she starred in his 2014 directorial debut, the zombie comedy Life After Beth." His next film, 2016's Joshy, featured Thomas Middleditch as a man who gets together with friends months after his fiancee commits suicide. The son of an attorney and teacher, Baena grew up in Miami and attended film school at

Atul Subhash suicide case: Techie's wife, family members get bail

A city civil court here on Saturday granted bail to engineer Atul Subhash's wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha Singhania and brother Anurag Singhania in suicide abetment case. The 34-year-old techie ended his life on December 9 in Bengaluru, alleging harassment at the hands of his estranged wife and her family. According to the prosecution, the three accused appeared before the court. Subhash had alleged that his in-laws had pressurised him to pay Rs three crore for divorse. Based on his 40-page suicide note and a one-and-half hour video explaining the situation that drove him to take the drastic step, the police booked the trio, arrested them and brought them from Uttar Pradesh to Bengaluru.