There has been an alarming increase in youth suicides in the area, with more than a dozen youths having taken their own lives over the past month.
The most recent incident on Tuesday is that of 15-year-old Bilal Ali Mangrio, son of Muhammad Sachal Mangrio, who ended his life by consuming poisonous pills in the village of Sano Mangrio. Although this death, which occurred within the limits of the Kandiaro police station, was reportedly linked to a domestic dispute, it has drawn attention to a much broader and more disturbing trend.
According to Muhammad Salim Mughal, the Naushahro Feroze coordinator for the International Human Rights Observer, the series of suicides among young people in the areas of Kandiaro, Halani, and Hingorja is extremely alarming. The methods used in these tragedies include ingesting poison, hanging, and jumping into a canal.
Mughal emphasized that very few of these fatal incidents appear to be the result of domestic disputes. Instead, it is highly probable that most of these suicides are a direct consequence of the growing menace of gambling and the subsequent blackmailing of vulnerable youth.
The police department and relevant investigative agencies have been formally appealed to launch a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of every suicide that occurred last month to determine the real causes and to address the underlying criminal activities.