ROURKELA: An unidentified person reportedly hanged himself to death in broad daylight at platform no 2 of Rourkela railway station on Tuesday.
Police said the man, in his early-forties, appeared to be mentally disturbed. The shocking incident took place at around 11.45 am when the platform was almost empty after departure of a train.
Sources said the man climbed the concrete elevated seating space to reach one of the lowest iron angles of the roof truss. He tied a plastic rope to the angle and hanged himself. At the time of the incident, no railway security personnel were present at the particular spot. A few persons standing on the platform at a distance did not initially took note of what the man was doing. But once the man hanged himself from the roof truss, they raised an alarm.
After getting information, the Government Railway Police (GRP) reached the spot and recovered the body. IIC of GRP station Sasmita Sahu said analysis of the CCTV footage showed that the platform was almost empty when the incident took place. The man was seen sitting at the far end of the platform. Subsequently, he picked up a discarded plastic rope from the railway tracks and hanged himself.
The man appeared to be mentally unstable. An unnatural death case was registered and the body has been kept at the morgue of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). Efforts are underway to identify the man and trace his family members, Sahu added.
(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.)