Guwahati, July 18: The cases of suicide have been on the rise in Assam, and the stats from the last decade paint a worrying picture, with most cases reported from Guwahati city. The rising suicide cases have been attributed to depression.

As per police records, in 2018, Assam recorded 2,310 cases of suicide. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figure state that the state recorded 2,370 suicide cases in 2019, which increased by 36.8% to 3,243 in 2020. While NCRB is yet to release data for 2021, Assam police recorded 3,302 suicide deaths last year, of which 2,391 were men and 911 women.

In a recent case, a 32-year-old animal activist from Dibrugarh committed suicide at his home in Dibrugarh town of upper Assam on July 7.

The state’s biggest city, Guwahati, recorded the highest numbers of suicide deaths. From 222 such deaths in 2013, the figures have steadily increased and last year 414 suicides were recorded in the city. This year, already more than 400 such deaths have been recorded in the first six months itself.

“The number of suicides have risen sharply and it’s a cause of concern. We have been trying to find ways of bringing down such deaths as certain situations and mental conditions lead such people to die by suicide,” said Guwahati’s joint police commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta last week.

In order to provide counselling to those who are facing mental issues, the police in Guwahati have started two helpline numbers, 6026900574 and 6026900552, where people can reach out and get help and advice from experts.

Experts feel a variety of factors have led to increase in suicides in Assam as well as in most parts of the country in the past years and the figures can be brought down with proper awareness and counselling.