SUFFERING FROM BLOOD CANCER, MAN STREAMS SUICIDE ON FB

SILIGURI:A patient of blood cancer in West Bengal reportedly committed suicide while streaming the act live on Facebook on late Saturday, police said, identifying the deceased as 43-year-old Arindam Dutta, a resident of Siliguri in Darjeeling district.

Police said Dutta made a final call to his childhood friend, one Mohammed Alam, who works as a journalist in Kolkata, but the latter could not receive the call.

Police recovered Dutta’s body from his house on Sunday morning. In the 3-minute-long video, Dutta is seen tying up a nylon rope around his neck. Five of his Facebook friends, who noticed him, tried to persuade him against taking his life through comments while some called him up but Dutta did not answer.

His friends said Dutta was a divorcee and was battling depression since learning about the blood cancer. He lived alone, while his former wife and their daughter stayed together.

Alam now regrets missing Dutta’s call. “He also called my wife and told her that he was not interested in living,” Alam said. “Had I received the call, probably I could have persuaded him (not to) take such an extreme step.”

He said after being detected with blood cancer, Dutta’s close friends assured him they would contribute for his treatment.

“But I had never imagined he will commit suicide,” Alam said.

Achinta Gupta, assistant commissioner of police, said that the police was probing the matter.