This Article is From Sep 18, 2019

2 Teachers Jump Off State Secretariat In Mumbai, Saved By Safety Net

The nylon safety net was installed outside the lobby of the building last year after a man killed himself at Mantralaya.

2 Teachers Jump Off State Secretariat In Mumbai, Saved By Safety Net

They were saved as they fell onto the safety net installed at the same level at the state secretariat.

Mumbai:

Two teachers seeking funds for divyang schools attempted suicide by jumping off the second floor of Mantralaya, the state secretariat building in south Mumbai, on Wednesday, police said.

They were saved as they fell onto the safety net installed at the same level at the state secretariat, police said.

They had come to Mantralaya as members of a delegation of teachers demanding grants for the schools, an official said, adding both have been detained by police and are being interrogated.

The nylon safety net was installed outside the lobby of the building last year after a man killed himself at Mantralaya.

In February last year, a 45-year-old man jumped off the fifth floor of Mantralaya. The man, Harshal Raote, was convicted of killing his sister and was out on parole since 10 January.

A day earlier, a 32-year-old unemployed man had attempted suicide outside the building. Following these incidents, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had called for an overhaul of the building's security system.

The decision to install nylon nets had prompted barbs from the Opposition, with Dhananjay Munde, Opposition leader in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, slamming the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, asking if this was its development model.

In January last year, 84-year-old Dharma Patil consumed a poisonous chemical at Mantralaya to protest low returns offered by state government while acquiring his land for a solar power plant.

In March 2016, Madhav Kadam, a farmer from Nanded district, had attempted suicide by consuming an insecticide at Mantralaya. 

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)
Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)
iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm)
Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm - 8 pm)

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