TOI scribe saves man trying to end life, cops reunite him with wife in Nagpur

NAGPUR: A vigilant Times Of India journalist was recently able to dissuade a man intent on ending his life by jumping from a flyover, with help from another passer-by.
The story got a happy ending when the cops were able to convince the man’s wife to return and live with him again, solving a major problem that had prompted the man to attempt suicide.

The Times of India’s Sarfaraz Ahmed on Saturday evening spotted 32-year-old Suraj Kukade on the Mankapur bridge.
Kukade had been depressed over his wife having left home over financial problems, and his daughter’s ill health. Kukade, who had consumed liquor for the first time, was contemplating dying by suicide by taking a plunge from the Mankapur bridge.
Kukade, an arts graduate and competitive power lifter, is a computer, laptop and printer technician.
Suraj Kukade was in dire need of some job or assignments to support his family, who had shifted from Amravati to Nagpur some eight months ago to try and earn a living. But luck had not favoured him in Nagpur too.
He had shared his plight with some local guards on duty about life's drudgery, including his rift with wife over financial crisis, before walking up the bridge. Kukade was trying to climb the side parapet wall of the bridge when he was spotted by Ahmed, who was returning home on bike.
"I saw the man trying to climb the parapet. Initially, I assumed him to be a cable worker, but then realized he was not wearing any safety gear. Sensing something amiss, I decided to intervene," said Ahmed.
"When I questioned the man, he retorted that I should mind my own business. I still continued talking to him, to keep him engaged and distracted," said Ahmed, who added he was trying to convince the man that it was dangerous to climb the parapet wall.
As Ahmed was engaging Kukade in small talk, a biker too joined in the episode, and grabbed the man to ensure he could not jump any more. "Some other passers-by too stopped to offer help. The cops reached after some time to take Kukade to the police station," he said.
Having pulling the man back to safety from the parapet of the bridge, Ahmed counselled him a bit on the spot. Kukade was not in a mood to pay heed to Ahmed or the others who had assembled. However, he calmed down after being taken to Mankapur police station.
After counselling by cops, especially Mankapur police station senior inspector Shubhangi Wankhede, Kukade's troubled mind settled down in some time. "Kukade responded well after cops spent some time to explain to him the adverse effect of suicide on his wife and daughter. They also tried to highlight life's positive aspects. He started feeling well and also repaired some of our computers and laptops too," said Wankhede.
"We also summoned his wife and father-in-law, and counselled them all. Kukade had dinner at the police station and left happier as his wife had agreed to stay with him again," said Wankhede.
She added Ahmed's alertness had saved a life and also averted yet another accident, as Kukade may have ended up landing on some vehicle or pedestrians below Mankapur bridge. "The journalist played his role and responsibility well. Police and media should join hands and work this way for society," she said.
Psychiatrist Dr Pawan Adatia said the intervention by the journalist helped the man overcome the overpowering suicidal thoughts for some time, but they may return and hence further intervention is required. "Suicides are mostly planned events, but are sometimes the outcome of impulsivity too," he said.