Third death by suicide in quick succession puts renewed glare on the world of entertainment
A spate of deaths by suicide of young actors from the world of Bengali entertainment has put the spotlight back on the various kinds of pressures working silently in the background that can put young and impressionable minds in grave danger.
The third death by suicide in quick succession yesterday, May 27, of a young female actor-model has put the glare once again on the pulls and pressures on various aspects of life that a career in entertainment can create, especially on the young and budding.
Manjusha Neogi’s body was found at her residence in the Patuli area of south Kolkata. It was apparently a case of suicide. The body has been sent for post-mortem, according to the police.
Her family claims she had been depressed ever since the death of her close friend Bidisha De Majumder. The latter’s body was found at her Dum Dum residence on the evening of May 25.
Manujusha’s mother told PTI she was “constantly talking about her [Bidisha’s] since then”. The police is suspecting Bidisha’s death to be a case of suicide too.
Prior to Bidisha’s death came the death of Pallabi Dey, a well-known face in the world of television serials. She was also found hanging inside her apartment in the Garfa area around a fortnight ago, on the morning of May 15.
Like Manjusha claiming to be affected by Bidisha’s death, the latter, in turn, had lamented Pallabi’s death on social media, describing it to be completely “unacceptable”.
Young lives in the limelight snuffed out by suicide have one thing in common—depression. Work pressure, relationship pressure, family pressure, financial pressure—the causes could be many. The debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society in the last two years have played a part too, claim doctors and psychologists, especially on young and impressionable minds.
(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to these numbers run by emergency services, helplines and mental health NGOs: Click here and here.)
