SRINAGAR, July 8: A teenaged girl has died after she consumed poison at her home, Police said Sunday.
Suicide rates are going alarmingly high in Muslim-majority Kashmir, although Islam strongly forbids suicide.
About the fresh incident, Police said a 16 year old girl (name with held) of Gurmohalla in Kashmir’s central district Budgam took poison and died at JVC hospital in Srinagar, where she had been taken for help.
Last week a girl and a women died when they separately consumed poisonous substances in Kulgam and Dardgund areas of South Kashmir.
Doctors and sociologists say the number of people committing suicide has soared since the start of militancy over two decades ago.
“The tolerance levels among people has decreased to a large extent,” Dr. Abeena Nawaz of Kashmir’s only psychiatric hospital said.
Nawaz said there is no data about the number of people who have committed suicide so far as no extensive and long-term surveys have been conducted.
On June 21, a 35-year-old lady of Uri in North Kashmir and another lady of Srinagar committed suicide.
On 19th June, a mother killed herself by consuming poison but only after feeding some to her three-year-old daughter in Kulgam district of South Kashmir.
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