81-year-old dies by suicide at Def Col house, leaves note

NEW DELHI: An 81-year-old man allegedly shot himself dead with his licensed pistol at his home in south Delhi’s Defence Colony on Wednesday morning, the police said. The octogenarian, a former government official, left behind a onepage note in which he expressed his unhappiness over age-related health issues and wrote that he did not want to live, the police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said the police received a call at 7.25am that a person had shot himself at his house in Defence Colony and needed an ambulance. A police team immediately reached the house and rushed the injured man to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment.

“The elderly man had some health issues for which he underwent treatment at a private hospital for nearly a month. He returned home after being discharged from the hospital on Tuesday evening. He left behind a suicide note,” said DCP Thakur.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 2,526 people killed themselves in Delhi in 2019 and of them, 825 ended their lives because of family problems. A total of 130 suicides were due to mental health issues, critical and prolonged illness, etc.

“Loneliness, health issues, lack of support system and financial crisis are some major reasons behind suicides. Instead of talking about these reasons, we should focus on the need for a support system comprising family members, friends, relatives, neighbours, residents’ welfare associations (RWAS), and others. Such a support system will play a major role in preventing such deaths,” said psychiatrist Samir Parikh, who is the director of Fortis National Mental Health Programme.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialists. Helplines: Fortis Stress Helpline: 8376804102, Sumaitri: 01123389090, Snehi: 01165978181, Sanjeevani: 01124311918/01124318883.