Deaths and threats that got city talking

Bengaluru is discussing these unfortunate stories this past week. Metrolife spoke to experts about how such deaths can be averted.

Cab driver’s scary threat

An Uber driver threatened a woman passenger he would driver her to a desolate location if she didn’t cancel her trip. The incident took place on Tuesday in HSR Layout. Her sister posted on a social networking site that the driver wanted to avoid the trip as the route had huge traffic jams.

City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar has a word of caution for cab passengers: “A button is displayed on the app along with driver details. People must press it to connect directly to the cab control room. The company can then track the cab from there.”

The Bengaluru police have released the Suraksha app. Women can download it and use it to seek help. A Hoysala will reach the spot in case of an emergency, he says.

Dejected schoolboy kills self

Upset at not being made class leader, 14-year-old R Dhruvraj, student of Baldwin Co-Education Extension High School in RR Nagar, hanged himself. He believed he had it in him, and was dejected when he didn’t make it.

 Dr Sugami Ramesh, clinical psychologist with Apollo Hospitals, gets at least 10 cases a month of people contemplating suicide. Those between 14 and 30 years are the most vulnerable.  “Children mostly come to me during the summer holidays. Suicidal thoughts grip them because of low self-esteem and lack of emotional support. Children must have a strong emotional support system,” she says. Her advice to parents: Follow the 3Fs. Be fair, firm and friendly.

Gas geyser killed couple?

A couple in their 30s was found dead in the bathroom in their apartment in Pattanagere in Rajarajeshwarinagar on Tuesday. Police suspect Mahesh H, 35, and his wife Sheela, 31, could have choked to death inhaling the carbon monoxide leaking from the gas geyser in the bathroom.  

A G Ramakrishnan, chairman, Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, says that is a plausible cause of death. “If people are stuck in a closed environment it results in slow death.

How long it takes depends on the concentration of the gas inside the room. There are primarily two factors that cause death in this instance---concentration and time exposure. Smaller houses have smaller bathrooms,” he explains.

Techie jumps from 12th floor

Bhavesh Jaiswal, 23, jumped to death from the 12th floor of his office in Whitefield earlier this week. In recent months, several techie suicides have been reported.

 Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, professor and head, Department of Psychopharmacology, Nimhans, says depression is the commonest reason for suicide. “However, there appears to be an increasing trend, today, where people commit suicide not because they have clinical depression that requires antidepressant treatment or psychotherapy, but because they face stress that they cannot come to terms with or escape. Failure in an examination is an example of stress that some youth cannot come to terms with. Insurmountable debt is an example of stress that some youth cannot escape,” he says. Formerly, people lived with families and could obtain emotional and financial reassurance from closely knit friends and families. Today, many employed youth live alone, and so have far less access to reassurance and support, he explains.