Family, love & marriage issues top causes of 3,051 suicides in Assam in 2023: MHA
According to MHA report, most victims of suicides in Assam were from low-income and less-educated groups
The Census of India 2027 will be a landmark exercise as it will be the country’s first fully digital census. (Photo: @himantabiswa/x)
Guwahati, Oct 5: Family problems, love affairs, and marriage-related issues are the major reasons for suicide cases in the State.
Besides, those from lower economic status and having less educational qualifications are more prone to taking their own lives.
There were a total of 3,051 incidents of suicides in Assam in 2023, as per latest official data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This is a decline of 8.1 per cent on an annual basis compared to 3,320 such cases registered in 2022. Among those who committed suicide in Assam during the year under review, 1,993 were males and 1,058 were females.
Assam contributed to 1.8 per cent of all the suicides across India. A total of 1,71,418 cases of suicides were reported nationally in 2023, the latest year for which data has been released. Among the causes of suicides in Assam that year, 983 cases were on account of family problems.
In addition, love affairs accounted for 415 cases, marriage-related issues for 327, poverty for 186, unemployment for 90, property disputes for 134, and illness for 278 cases.
Among other reasons, bankruptcy or indebtedness accounted for 18 cases, failure in examination for 59, impotency or infertility for two, death of dear persons for 57 cases, drug abuse and alcoholic addiction for 26, fall in social reputation for 21, professional and career problems for 23, suspected illicit relations for 106, illegitimate pregnancy for four, and physical abuse for two cases.
The causes were not known in 207 cases of suicides, while 113 suicides in the State during 2023 were on account of ‘other causes’.
It is noteworthy that among those who committed suicide that year, 1,862 had an annual income of less than Rs one lakh, while 1,049 were in the Rs 1-5 lakh category, 113 in the Rs 5-10 lakh category, and 27 had a yearly income of over Rs 10 lakh.
Most of the suicides in Assam were carried out by hanging. Of the total cases reported during the year under review, 2,396 were by hanging, 16 were by consuming sleeping pills, 200 were by drowning, 11 by fire or self-immolation, six by firearms, 259 by poison, 21 were by ‘self-inflicting injuries’, 26 by jumping, four were on account of coming under running vehicles or trains, 20 by touching electric wire, and 92 by some other means.
Of all the victims, 411 were housewives, 330 were professional or salaried persons, 482 were students, 618 were unemployed persons, 334 were self-employed, 116 were persons engaged in the farming sector, 626 were daily wage earners, 11 were retired persons, and 123 were categorized as ‘others’.
Among those who committed suicide in Assam during the year under consideration, 937 were unmarried, 1,944 were married, 43 were widowed or widower, 27 were divorcee, 49 were separated, and 41 were in the ‘others’ category, while the status of another 10 were not known.
With regard to academic qualification, of the total cases, 382 had no education, 521 had studied up to the primary level, 652 had studied up to middle level, 762 up to matriculate and secondary level, 524 had studied up to higher secondary or intermediate level, 25 up to diploma and certificate level, 105 were graduates and above, and three had professional degrees. The educational qualifications of another 77 were not known.