Suicide in Metro

44-year-old man being treated for depression since he separated from his wife four years ago committed suicide by jumping on the Metro Railway tracks at Shovabazar-Sutanuti station on Tuesday morning as a Tollygunge-bound train pulled in.
Sudhir Singh’s body got stuck under the wheels and took over 30 minutes to retrieve. Five Tollygunge-bound trains and four Dum Dum-bound trains were cancelled between 9.32am and 10.06am, said a Metro spokesperson.
“He was standing about 10 metres away from me on the platform and looked calm. He waited till the last moment to jump. The driver slammed the brakes but it was too late,” said Dipankar Ghosh, a 56-year-old bank employee.
Singh lived with his 70-year-old widowed mother, Indu Bala, in a flat in Laboni, Salt Lake. The trader had stopped working since his wife allegedly left him four years ago. He and his mother used to survive on the pension of his late father K. Singh, who was a lieutenant in the army.
“Sudhir suffered from depression and used to take medicines regularly. He kept to himself and hardly ever left the house after separating from his wife. On Tuesday morning, he told his mother that he was going out to buy medicines,” said a neighbour.
A policeman said anti-depressants and other drugs prescribed for mental ailments were found in Singh’s pocket. “We are looking into all possibilities but depression is the most likely reason he committed suicide,” the officer said.
Singh’s body was first taken to Shyampukur police station and later to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem.
Tuesday’s suicide was the first on the Metro tracks this year and the 73rd overall. A total of 167 people have attempted suicide in Metro stations over the past 21 years. Last year, 12 people attempted suicide in Metro. Six died.