Jharkhand shooter dies by suicide, fourth such death since September

KOLKATA: Konica Layak, Jharkhand’s 10-metre air rifle state champion in 2020, was found hanging inside a women’s hostel at Bally in Howrah district on Wednesday morning, police said. She was 28.

Layak left a suicide note in which she wrote about failing to fulfill her parents’ dreams, an officer from the Bally police station said requesting anonymity.

Layak, who earlier this year got a new rifle from actor Sonu Sood, was disqualified at the GV Mavalankar memorial event in October for tampering with the target, her coach Joydeep Karmakar told HT. That event was a qualifier for the national championship. “Layak is the fourth Indian shooter to die by suicide in four months. Three shooters from Punjab have shot themselves with their own firearms since September. This is definitely a bad time for the nation’s shooting sports fraternity,” said Karmakar, Olympian and Arjuna award winner.

Seeking better facilities, Layak joined Karmakar’s training institute in Kolkata in July. She stayed at the hostel in Bally and visit family occasionally.

“Layak apparently hanged herself after her roommates left for work,” said a police officer.

“I came to know about Layak only after I read in the newspapers that Sood was moved by her troubles and got her a new rifle. We contacted her and asked her to come over for training. We reduced her training fees by 50 %. Her skills were quite raw when we took her onboard,” said Karmakar.

“I cannot believe that she could commit suicide. Layak always wore a charming smile. She was neither extrovert, nor an introvert. There are around 300 students in my institute. It is difficult to say what is going on inside their minds but Layak never appeared to be a person in depression.” “Around 20 years ago, a shooter was suspended for two years on a similar charge. I do not know if the national shooting sports authorities were planning a similar step in her case. After all, she represents Jharkhand,” added Karmakar.

The police learnt from Layak’s parents that she had gone to Chittaranjan in West Burdwan district earlier this week to attend a friend’s wedding. In September, Namanveer Singh Brar, who won a bronze at the World University Games, killed himself in Mohali. In October, Hunardeep Singh Sohal, who was a state-level shooter, shot himself. Khushseerat Kaur Sandhu, who participated in the Junior World Championships, died by suicide on December 8. The deaths got Abhinav Bindra seeking to offer help through his foundation that conducts mental wellness sessions. Bindra wrote to Raninder Singh, president of the National Rifle Association of India, saying they must act quickly and responsibly to prevent further loss of lives.

“Athletes are prone to anxiety, depression, and need to be given a safe and conducive atmosphere to pursue excellence. Our intention is to help athletes. Begin conversations about mental health, reflect on its link to peak performance, and how they can incorporate best practices into their day-to-day lives,” said the Olympics gold medallist.

With agency inputs