GUWAHATI, Aug 24 - Love affairs are responsible for the maximum number of suicides in the State, even as people who are from poor economic background are more prone to take their own lives.
As per latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 3,546 cases of suicides in Assam in 2014. Among those who committed suicide, 2,510 were males and 1,036 were females.
Assam contributed to 2.7 per cent of all the suicides nationally in 2014.
Across India, the total number of suicide cases last year stood at 1,31,666.
However, the number of suicide cases in Assam fell marginally by 0.2 per cent in 2014 to 3,546 as compared to 3,553 in 2013.
Among the causes of suicides in Assam, 519 cases were on account of love affairs.
Among others, marriage-related issues accounted for 58 cases, failure in examination for 254 cases, other family problems for 326, illness for 145, death of dear persons for 41, drug addiction or abuse for one, fall in social reputation for 27, poverty for 95, unemployment for 82, property dispute for 221, suspected illicit relations for two and professional or career problems for three cases.
In 958 cases of suicides, the causes were not known, while 814 suicides in the State in 2014 were on account of other causes.
It is noteworthy that among those who committed suicide in the State, 2,958 had an annual income of less than Rs one lakh, while 480 were in the Rs 1-5 lakh category, 107 in the Rs 5-10 lakh category and only one had an annual income of Rs 10 lakh or above.
Most of the suicides in the State were carried out by hanging.
Of the total cases, 1,885 were by hanging, 433 were by drowning, 78 by fire or self-immolation, four by firearms, 423 by poison, 21 by jumping from building or moving trains, 101 were by coming under running vehicles or trains, 51 by touching electric wire and 550 were by other means.
Of all the cases of suicide, 522 were housewives, 128 were professional or salaried persons, 397 were students, 134 were unemployed persons, 1,036 were self-employed, 69 were daily wage earners, eight were retired persons and 1,252 were others.
As per social status, among those who committed suicide in Assam in 2014, 1,070 were unmarried, 1,865 were married, seven were widowed/widowers, 18 were divorcees, 10 were separated and 224 were �others�, while the individual status of 352 others were not known.
Of the total suicide cases, 499 had no education, 652 had studied up to class V, 914 had studied up to class VIII, 527 were matriculates, 261 had studied up to Higher Secondary, one had diploma/certificate or ITI diploma, three were graduates or above, while the status of 689 were not known.
