Every odd day we get to hear news about someone being dead either by consuming some poisonous substance or by jumping into a nearby stream. The latest death is of a 17-year-old girl from Kulgam who ended her life by jumping into the Aharbal Waterfall. The tragic and sudden rise in suicides among the people of Kashmir is alarming and of grave concern. It has become a trend for people in depression to end their life in this way. Every person who commits suicide had obviously not been living a smooth life, and neither did they have the capacity to handle the roughness of it. However, no matter what they were going through, it’s better not to sympathise with them after their death.
The wave of suicides that we are witnessing in Kashmir has a lot to do with the kind mentality most of us possess. It’s our firm belief that the situation wouldn’t have been as worse as it is had we outright condemned the act without calling the dead as victims of depression.
Islam views suicide as sinful. However, human beings are liable to commit mistakes, thus God forgives the sins as He’s the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. But suicide is such a sin that Islam doesn’t even allow us to attend the Janazah (funeral) of such people, and, as a clear warning, Allah (SWT) has clearly deprived such people from entering Heaven. The more you recognise their miseries, the more people will be attracted to this act.
Societal/family issues are considered to be the main reason behind the increasing suicide rates in Kashmir. This includes personal problems, divorces, love failure, drug addiction, and other miseries. Moreover, incessant violence in the Valley has devastated the psyche of the Kashmiris and stress-related diseases have grown manifold across the social spectrum, driving people, mostly youngsters, increasingly to suicide.
Another big cause is unfortunately the education system, because if you get 90% you’re no good and people will ask you about the rest 10%. The rising competition among youngsters and not succeeding in it leads to this extreme step. Covid-19 has made the world come to a standstill. Schools all over India are trying to maintain a balance and save the future of students by adopting technology to deliver lectures and conduct classes online. But we all know how online classes have proved unfruitful for the current generation of ‘netizens’. Lacking face-to-face interaction, the online classes have not proved useful for the students. We witnessed a year of lockdown post-August 5, which left several people jobless and businesses crashed. Losing financial resources is no good for any person but only adds to the level of depression and anxiety among them. Covid-19 and its consequences have affected people in a more drastic manner.
Some people before committing suicide record their death and make people witness of their heinous sin. Furthermore, they tend to mention that their death would bring relief and peace to the people they have depressed. Here, it’s pertinent to mention that if one’s life could not bring harmony to their loved ones, how come their death would?
Can we stop suicides?
Yes, we can, to some extent. Parents, NGOs, educational institutions, etc, have a vital role to play here. Parents and teachers need to check in on students and children who have been acting “out of character” lately. Whether it is someone “snapping” at something small or behaving “recklessly”, it is important to understand the cause behind it. Those who have gone quiet could be because of mental illness or when they are emotionally exhausted. So, a parent or a teacher or even a guardian needs to check on their wards during such circumstances and they should sort out things at their level before it’s gone from their hands. Giving them good education is alright but Islamic teachings would better educate the minds of these teenage buds.
Any hardships or sufferings that people go through are just a test from Almighty Allah as, “He will testify to people by offering them many hardships and no way out of there without His will and He’s with the patient”. (Fa Inna ma ’al usri Yusra inna ma’al usri Yusra) So, instead of ending life this way, it’s better to trust Allah and have faith in Him as He’s the best giver, best planner, the most gracious and the most merciful.

—The writers are students at IUST Awantipora. [email protected], [email protected]

Shahid Bhat & Hudaiba Jeelani