Mumbai’s Bridge Too Far

Police take anti-suicide measures as people jump to their deaths from the city’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link

The Bandra- Worli Sea Link, a landmark in Mumbai, is fast becoming a hot spot for people deciding to kill themselves. Since 2009, there have been nine suicides, the last early this month. Peculiarly, those who commit suicide here are mostly of well-off families. Seven of the nine were businessmen suffering depression on account of losses.

There is now increased police patrolling here by personnel picked from Bandra and Worli as the Sea Link is monitored by police stations under both these jurisdictions. It is reported that security guards tend to question anyone who stops nearby. “I am new to this city. I have read so much about the Sea Link that I came down here to see it. But these security guards keep asking us why we are standing here,” says Tapas Maitra, an advertising professional.

Police say that it is easy for people to climb up the railings and jump into the sea below. “Preliminary investigations after the suicides reveal that these people suffer from depression or had a fight with a family member,”says inspector Rajendra Kane of the Bandra Police Station, who is probing a recent case.

The state government has been issued a notice by the Bombay High Court after a PIL on the suicides was filed. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) has initiated efforts to prevent further attempts. MSRDC will now increase the height of the railings, post more security guards and increase the number of CCTVs (from six to 64) on the bridge. According to an official of the Mumbai Entry Point Limited (MEPL), which maintains the bridge, it is extremely difficult to prevent suicides. “People who are determined to kill themselves may continue to jump off the bridge, but the presence of guards will be a deterrent,” says the MEPL official.

Other suggestions include levying a penalty on motorists who stop at the Sea Link and placing safety nets below the bridge.

Bandra-Worli Sea LinkMumbaisuicide