Chennai, Aug 30 (BPNS)

The state of Tamil Nadu has now become the state with the second highest number of suicides after Maharashtra in the country. This was stated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Monday.

According to NCRB, Tamil Nadu reported 18,295 suicides in 2021 after Maharashtra which reported 22,207 cases.  Tamil Nadu’s suicide cases have shown a 0.5% increase when compared to the figures for 2020. The number of suicides in Tamil Nadu is 11.5% of the national figure.

The state topped the suicides due to family fights in the country with a figure of 8073 deaths. The state is followed by Maharashtra with 7693 deaths.

Dr. Sukanya Nambiar who heads SRADDHA, an NGO that provides helpline for those with suicidal thoughts while speaking to BPNS said, “The society is still ostracizing people who need support and they are stamped with the tag of mentally disturbed or mentally ill.”

In the case of the number of people who have committed due to suicide also, Tamil Nadu tops with 5386 deaths while Madhya Pradesh with 3132 deaths is second to TN. The NCRB data reveals that 3042 people committed due to illness in Karnataka while 2469 ended their lives in Andhra Pradesh for the same reasons.

The data shows that people from all walks of life have committed suicide with 25.6% of those who committed suicide being daily wage earners, 14.1% housewives, 12.3% self-employed people, 9.7% salaried people, 8.4% unemployed people, and 8% students.