CHENNAI: A 31-year-old man who jumped from the Napier Bridge to end his life due to chronic illness was rescued by a police team from the Anna Square police station after an hour-long battle.
The victim was identified as S Kamalakannan. A person who saw the man climbing over the parapet wall of the Napier Bridge and jumping into the Cooum River, rushed to the police outpost and informed the police about the incident.
The man was trapped in the sludge which slowly sucked him in, police said. However, the police team of SI Thilagavathi and constables Sakthi Ganesh and Saminathan rushed to the spot. “They dropped a rope and asked him to hold on to it tightly. The personnel later pulled him out of the river. While fire and rescue personnel were busy fighting the fire at Anna Salai, the help of the personnel saved the man,” said MS Baskar, Assistant commissioner of Police, Triplicane.
The personnel gave him directions through a temporary public addressing system and the police asked him to tie the rope around his waist and he did so, police said.
Meanwhile, the police team alerted the ambulance and para-medical staff performed first-aid to the rescued man before taking him to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for treatment. The police team informed the family members of Kamalakannan, a resident of Thambu Chetty Lane in Royapuram.
During inquiries, Kamalakannan told police that he has been suffering from chronic stomach pain and he had decided to end his life as he failed to cope with the illness. Further investigations are on.
what transpired at the napier bridge?
A person who saw the man climbing over the parapet wall of the Napier Bridge and jumping into the Cooum River, rushed to the police outpost and informed the police about the incident. The man was trapped in the sludge which slowly sucked him in, police said. He was later taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for treatment. (Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)