Lockdowns, student pressure blamed for India's alarming rise in suicides

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More than 160,000 people took their own lives in 2021 in India, an alarming increase of 7 percent on the previous year, according to a report released by the Home Ministry. Suicides were highest among students, self-employed people, daily wage earners and housewives. Experts say multiple lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic made the situation worse. For daily labourers, lockdowns led to a sudden loss of livelihood, pushing thousands of them to end their lives, which accounted for almost one quarter of the total suicides in 2021. As for students, they face multiple risk factors, from parental pressure to excel to failing exams or financial stress. Our correspondents report.