Love affair triggers more suicides than poverty, unemployment

At least 10 people end their lives every day in the country after being let down by their lovers, where as poverty and unemployment -- considered big drivers of suicides in the West -- forces eight and six Indians respectively to commit the crime, the data released by National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2008 said.

A total of 3,774 people committed suicide in 2008 for failing in love. Women beat men in the race of self-sacrifice as 1,912 females compared to 1,862 males ended their lives, as per 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2008' report.

According to the state-wise analysis, West Bengal leads the league with 792 such suicides being reported in 2008. Tamil Nadu comes second with 549 love-related suicides, followed by Assam (396), Andhra Pradesh (263) and Orissa(212).
The national capital registered 63 such deaths in that year.

According to the data, 3,006 people killed themselves because of acute poverty, while unemployment and sudden economic loss or bankruptcy drove 2,080 and 2,970 people respectively to end their lives in 2008.

However, family problems and illness remained the two major drivers behind such crimes accounting 45.7 per cent of total (1,25,017) suicides in that year.

While 29,777 or 23.8 per cent of people killed themselves because of family disturbances, 27,410 (21.9 per cent) committed suicide being unable to cope with their illness, the NCRB data said.

Dowry dispute has stood as another major factor behind suicides, as 3,038 people (2,981 females and 57 males) ended their lives in 2008.

Similarly, drug addiction forced 2,730 people to commit suicide. A total of 2,198 killed themselves because of failure in examination and 1,264 for suspected illicit relationship.

Among the other major factors that forced more than a thousand of people to commit suicide were property dispute, loss of reputation, career problems and death of a dear person among others.

According to the data, more than 34 per cent chose consuming poison as the means of committing suicide, while hanging remained the second most choice. Self-immolation and jumping into a water body were third and forth options respectively.

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu share the second place in list of states with each registering 11.5 per cent of total suicides, while Karnataka recorded 9.8 per cent such crimes in 2008.