NEW DELHI: On January 8, Anjani Kumar Rai (38) allegedly attempted suicide by jumping in front of a train at Dwarka metro station. He was rushed to a hospital while the train services were briefly disrupted.
Rai, however, was declared brought dead by doctors at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. This was another suicide adding to the list of suicides committed at metro stations in the national capital.
The year 2019 has been marked as the most gruesome with 26 suicides as compared to the previous five years.
In 2018, a total of 17 suicides took place at Delhi metro stations.
Suicides at metro stations have become a common affair these days that also results in delay in services.
Metro trains which have become the lifeline of the city like the local trains in Mumbai have their own charm for the people due to "time efficiency". They save time, energy and mental stress that one has to suffer following vehicle snarls at roads in the peak hours.
But the frequent incidents of suicides is affecting this.
A senior Delhi Metro official said that despite taking steps like installation of Platform Screen Doors (PSDs), suicides continue to take place at Metro stations. The responsibility lies with the CISF and the Metro police. Delhi Metro can only provide the infrastructure, like installing CCTV cameras and PSDs which are now installed on the Magenta line.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over security at the DMRC in 2017. Presently all the 249 Delhi Metro stations are secured by the CISF.
According to CISF Public Relations Officer Hemendera Singh said they were able to control the number of such incidents in 2016-2017. But there has been an upward trend in such attempts at the metro stations, and the agency has been resorting to new measures to prevent such incidents.
"Apart from round the clock CCTV surveillance, we have started training our officials to keep an eye on passengers showing signs of depression and anger. Our officials move around in plain clothes and are trained to stop such incidents," he said.