BENGALURU: A 34-year-old Bengalurean suffering from depression survived miraculously in his suicide attempt in front of a train approaching the Hosahalli Metro station on Monday night. He escaped with a minor head injury thanks to the prompt usage of the Emergency Trip System button on the platform.
Metro train services were disrupted for 33 minutes between Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Metro station and Mysuru Road stations. This marks the third suicide bid on Metro tracks in 2024 with one person losing his life so far.
A top Metro source said the train on its way towards Challaghatta was arriving at Hosahalli station. “It was nearing Platform 2 at 8.56 pm when a young man jumped onto the tracks and rushed towards the train shocking other commuters waiting to board the train.”
Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL, B L Yashvanth Chavan told TNIE, “Someone who saw the man run towards the train pressed the Emergency Trip System button on the platform bringing the train to an immediate halt. Since the man fell between the tracks he escaped. As soon as the train stopped, he crawled on his own from one side of the train. He was reported to be in a conscious state by the public. The individual has suffered a minor head injury and was rushed immediately to the nearest hospital for treatment.”
“We do not know yet if the button was pressed by a member of the public or a security or Metro staff. CCTV footage examined later will let us know what exactly happened,” added Chavan.
Meanwhile police said, “The victim was suffering from depression and attempted suicide by jumping on the Metro track. He has a minor head injury and is out of danger. We cannot disclose his name and details because a source familiar with the development said he is a patient of depression and had been admitted to Gayathri Hospital.”
An official release said that short loop services were run on the two end points of the Purple Line, between Challaghatta and Mysore Road on one side and between Kempegowda station and Whitefield (Kadugodi) on the other side. The normalcy of train services on the Purple Line resumed from 9.30 pm.
A 19-year-old law student, Dhruv Jatin Thakkar, died by suicide by falling in front of a train at Attiguppe Metro station on March 21 while a 23-year-old youth from Kerala survived with serious injuries in his suicide attempt in front of a train at Jalahalli Metro station on the Green Line on January 5. These incidents promoted BMRCL to put up steel barricades at the Kempegowda Metro station.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)