death

BURARI SUICIDE: WHY DEATH MUST NOT BE TRP

National News

Given this age of breaking news and whatsapp forwards, there are high chances that one must have heard, read or watched those cringe worthy episodes of crime specials on a TV channel about the Burari Suicide.

Few days ago, 11 members of the same family were found dead in one house in Delhi’s Burari Suburb. As insensitive as this may sound, this news was a pot of gold for media outlets.

One old woman was murdered, 2 of her sons, daughters in law, 6 grand children found hanging under mysterious circumstances. The dead bodies were reportedly discovered by a neighbour after he found the door ajar.

Now under given circumstances police should have conducted a thorough investigation. But probably the media interest in the case made them share the investigation reports prematurely.

Police happily shared the details of an under investigation crime to media. A diary and a few notes which indicated that this could have been a ritualistic suicide pact now became the focus. The diary was unverified by police and handwriting not sent to forensics for investigation. Yet the diary was taken at face value. Not one person questioned the veracity of this diary. Not one person wondered why the door was left open during a suicide pact. No one bothered to investigate if this was a murder staged as suicide.

On the other hand, media sensationalised this case. Panelists debated over this, despite their being no two sides to this case . Scenes of this gruesome death re-enacted without viewer discretion. Death trivialised for TRPs.

While the police investigates this mysterious case, what needs to be spoken of is the hype around it. If this case was murder, then media needs to respect the investigating authorities and give them time to solve the case. Editors must learn to take a step back from their breaking news syndrome. And police must look beyond the diary and hunt for real clues.

Secondly if this were indeed the first case of mass shared psychosis suicide, then making a joke out of it will only act as a setback for mental health care. When a person decides to end their life regardless of the reason, it shows their fragile state of mind. If one decides to trivialise it, then many others will refuse to seek help and will be trapped in the vicious circle. Mental health is ignored in India. Many mental health care believe that if the family sought professional help then the suicide could have been prevented.

11 lives with a bright future ahead of them would still be with us.

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15 deaths already, What you need to know about the Nipah Virus Infection

health
Earlier this month, the southern state of Kerala was in news after doctors in the state discovered that a rather mysterious and a relatively unknown virus had surfaced in the southern coastal region.

Yes, we are talking about the Nipah Virus Infection, a medical condition that is contagious and has baffled several medical experts who continue to work towards eradicating this virus.

But what exactly is the Nipah Virus and why has the infection claimed so many lives despite a robust healthcare system in Kerala?
Nipah Virus Infection can be called as rather new discovery. Infection in human beings was discovered for the first time just 19 years ago in 1999. The first human infection was seen in Malaysian farmers who were in close contact with pigs.

This however is not first outbreak in India, in 2001 Nipah Virus infection claimed 45 lives in West Bengal’s Siliguri Region.
Now, viral infections are pretty common, but makes Nipah Virus so deadly? Just like any viral infection, common symptoms such as headache, fever, muscle pain and nausea are seen initially, but the symptoms can progress to delirium (mental confusion) and ultimately coma or death in a quick span of 2-5 days. The short time span can make it tough for detection and effective treatment of this infection.
Nipah Virus can be detected by a test called as ‘ELISA’ and this is conducted in National Institute of Virology in Pune.

Is there any antidote or vaccine for this vaccine? Sadly, no. There is no vaccination or anti-viral therapy against Nipah. The age old saying of ‘Prevention is better than cure’ holds true for Nipah. Fruit bats are the natural hosts of this infection. Hence fruits and vegetables must be washed thoroughly with water, or boiled before consumption. If possible avoid consumption of raw fruits until the outbreak is contained.

Pigs are also the carriers of this virus, hence it is best to avoid contact with these animals. It is also best to avoid consumption of pig meat.

The infection can be spread if a person comes in contact with a patient, hence maintaining personal hygiene is of utmost importance. Wash your hands regularly and maintain hygiene. Face masks particularly the N95 variant must be used in the areas of outbreak.

Another cause of worry has been the rumours associated with this infection. Always remember self medication is never advised for any medical condition and also always consult a doctor if you notice any symptoms associated with this infection.

Foul play suspected in Sridevi’s death?

Entertainment

One could call it sixth sense, but this tweet by Amitabh Bachchan seem like an eerie forecast of what Bollywood was about to witness.

@SrBachchan T 2625 – न जाने क्यूँ , एक अजीब सी घबराहट हो रही है !!

In the next 58 minutes of Amitabh’s tweet, what was feared was confirmed, Bollywood had lost a supernova. India had lost an actor par excellence… Sridevi.

@Filmfare Breaking news! Bollywood legend @SrideviBKapoor passes away. https://t.co/JisxQ0hBgZ

The 54 year old actress began her journey as a child star at the age of 4 and leaves behind her husband Producer Boney Kapoor & daughters Jhanvi and Khushi Kapoor. The actress was at Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates to attend a wedding when she passed away. While the timeline of her final hours are unknown, many sources close to Kapoor family reveal that she may have died following a cardiac arrest. The actress was in the Emirates to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah to stylist Antara Motiwala. The actress who is active on social media had posted several photos of the the wedding online. Actress was at her graceful best & looked hale and hearty in the photos, making several wonder if this death was natural or if there was something more.

What really happened ?

Sridevi was at a hotel when she fainted inside the bathroom. It is also unclear as to who found Sridevi unconscious in the bathroom. Reports further reveal that the paramedics rushed Sridevi to the hospital, however she was already dead. Cardiac Arrest is rarely seen in women, but these days post menopausal women are prone to cardiac arrest. Secondly many reports have emerged that Sridevi may have been alone at the time of her death. Boney and daughter Khushi had returned to Mumbai on February 22. However there is no clarity if they flew back to UAE or if they were in Mumbai that day.

No postmortem request?

The authorities at Dubai refused to handover the body without a post-mortem making several wonder if a request was made to repatriate the body without a post mortem. Sridevi’s death of a celebrity ‘fainting in a toilet’ only to be declared dead later is similar to several other Hollywood stars who passed away following an overdose of drugs. Well the preliminary post-mortem report could be out in the near future and hopefully it resolves the mysterious death of the 80s heart-throb.