Shillong, Apr 23: Two unrelated cases of alleged suicide were reported in Shillong today, both of which took place in public areas.
In the first incident one Mithun Gurung (38) of Lumparing was found hanging inside the premises of Laban Police Station. The incident occurred some time after 6am.
According to eyewitnesses, the man had been seen loitering and sitting in front of the police station prior to the incident. Social Secretary of the Laban Dorbar Shnong, Vernon Syiem, said such a case had never been witnessed before within the police station compound. He suspected that the man may have been mentally ill.
A senior police official said the incident happened within minutes during the early hours when the station gates were open for public access. The official stated that a home guard volunteer and a traffic volunteer had seen the man outside the gate, but “nobody expected” what followed.
Responding to questions on why the man entered the police station, the official said, “From his history, he seems to be mentally disturbed and also has a history of alcoholism. Because of his alcoholic problems, we have gathered he had issues of hallucination, which can occur when a person feels threatened. That could be why he came to the police station.”
Police confirmed that there is no criminal record against the deceased.
The official also informed that the CCTV inside the police station was malfunctioning, but footage from surrounding Smart City cameras was studied.
In a separate case, the body of a 21-year-old man, Vijay Kumar Singh, from Riatsohkhlur (3rd Mile, Upper Shillong), was found at around 5am. Police suspect it to be a case of partial hanging.
“The body was found in a seated position near a window ledge with a rope around the neck, indicating partial hanging. There were no injury marks, and prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide,” Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said, adding that confirmation will follow after the post-mortem examination.
