IDUKKI: The timely intervention of a sub-inspector with the Adimali police station in Idukki has helped bring a 26-year-old tribal woman back from the brink of suicide. The woman wanted to give up on life after her lover refused to marry her, sub-inspector K M Santosh said. At 7am on Wednesday, Santosh received a call from the station house officer, Sudheer, about a woman who was attempting to jump from the top of a hill near the Kuthiralam Kudi near Adimali. Along with ASI Abbas T M, the officer rushed to the spot to find the woman sitting on the edge of the hill.
“There was a crowd comprising the settlers of the hamlet and the woman’s friends and relatives when I reached the site. Her family members had tried to reach her but she threatened to jump off the hill,” Santosh said. Although Santosh had asked for the fire and rescue personnel, he felt the woman would jump by the time the firemen arrived. So he decided to take it upon himself to try and save her. Santosh proceeded to walk along the slippery slope of the hill barefoot.
“I kept a distance of five feet from her and spoke to her. I told her that I too have two daughters and promised to find the solution to her issue. Though she was initially reluctant to hear me, she was finally convinced,” the officer said. The woman moved away from the edge of the hill, and after Santosh spoke to her for nearly an hour on the hilltop, she promised to arrive at the police station to attend a counselling session with her parents.
“During the counselling, the woman told us that she was thinking of taking her own life following some personal issues. She was reunited with her family members,” Santosh said. Before returning to her settlement on Thursday, the woman promised the officer that she will keep her head up and live her life better in front of people who deceived her. The officer’s prompt action to save a life has earned appreciation from the police department. Netizens also started hailing him after the incident.
(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 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).