Thursday, May 21, 2020

Bihar: Men Committing Suicides in Quarantine Centers

Reading local newspapers in Bihar, I can notice large number of suicide cases in Coronavirus crisis related quarantine centers. I am not sure but there may be similar cases all across India. 

A man travelled on his motorcycle from Mumbai to Bihar; reached his "sasural" (in-laws) place but his wife's family declined to offer him home-quarantine and sent him to a nearby Quarantine center. Frustrated and depressed due to this, he committed suicide by pouring petrol taken from his motorcycle and burned himself. [News]

Recently, another 30-year old man, who had returned from Delhi recently by a Sharmik special train, committed suicide at Hajipur in Vaishali district on Wednesday. Rajesh Kumar had been working as a migrant labourer in Delhi. Sources said Kumar was placed under quarantine in Dighi a few days ago after he returned. He was frustrated after being put in quarantine for the second time as he was sent to a quarantine centre in Delhi as well. [News]

This is not an isolated case of a migrant worker committing suicide. Another migrant worker from Musahari block in Muzaffarpur had committed suicide on Tuesday after his family members refused him entry into the house and asked him to return only after completing the 14-day mandatory quarantine at a nearby centre.

Sources said at least half a dozen similar cases of suicide have been reported in the state ever since migrant workers started arriving from other states. Taking a note of this disconcerting trend, the State Health Society has decided to provide counselling facility at quarantine centres.

A senior officer of the state health department said 400 personnel, including psychiatrists, doctors, para-medical staff, family planning and Aids control programme counsellors and district mental health workers were being trained through video conferencing. [News]

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