While altogether 142 people had committedsuicidein the capital city between January and June last year, 151 people ended their lives here during the same period this year.
The 151 deceased included 38 people, who died by suicide during thelockdownin May (16 suicides) and June (22 suicides) this year. The suicide figures of the lockdown in May and June 2020 stood at 49 (18 in May and 31 in June).
Police said overall suicide cases went up in Bhubaneswar in 2020 compared to 2019. While 220 persons had committed suicides in 2019, the figure rose to 310 in 2020.
Some experts said many people suffered from mental imbalance following negativity being spread through various sources of Communication, media and Social Media.