As per government statistic, at least 66 children (below 18 years) in Kerala committed suicide between March 25 when the lockdown was imposed and the first week of July. In other words, 66 child suicides in just over 100 days.
State chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that with schools closed, students may be facing multiple issues including “anxiety and mental stress”, reports Gulf News.
Concerned by the shocking statistic, the state government has formed a committee headed by senior police officer R. Sreelekha to look into the matter. However, there is no hint that the number of suicides has decreased.
In early June, Devika Balachandran, 14, a class 9 student in Valanchery, took her life because her family did not have a smartphone or television at home on which she could attend online classes. A note found from the school girl’s house had a single line written on it, “I’m going”.
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