Curb Rising Homicides

In the latest turn of events, a young man aged 26 years old has admitted to have murdered his father and youngest brother while they were sleeping. The person is reported to have used a dumbbell and a stone grinder to commit the horrendous crimes against his father and brother, respectively. In Nepal, murders have become quite a common occurrence over the past few years. This is evident as the data maintained by the Nepal Police indicates that as many as 192 homicides have been recorded in the first four months of the current fiscal year itself.  

According to the police personnel involved in the investigation, the murderer has said his father’s words before going to sleep that he had failed to pass civil service exams or get any job and the society’s jabbing had forced him to take such an extreme step. And as per him, his father had suffered from depression and his brother had addicted to drug abuse and did not study well. So the perpetrator felt it would be better to commit the heinous crime. The perpetrator had locked the door, gone to a location far away from his rented room in order to attempt to kill himself. But the knot of the scarf he had used for suicide had come undone, causing into failed attempt. 

The two individuals’ bodies had only been found after a neighbour called the police, as the doors had remained locked from outside.  He had stayed in a guesthouse for two days after committing the murders. As he found the news about the incident in newspapers, he gave in to the police station based in Maharajgunj. Apparently, he had tried to murder them during the Dashain festival as well, but had been unsuccessful. Thus, the police reject the idea that his father’s sole words had caused him to act rashly. Rather, the police terms it pre-planned as there were two sketches of his father and brother, made by the perpetrator with cross signs over them. He is said to have been depressed owing to the failure in the Public Service Commission (PSC) exams.

Our rhetoric may stand that physical health is a top priority. But isn't the mental health getting worse these days? These rising crimes indicate that people are not very stable and are unable to control their emotions and erratic thinking. The societal perception of success and failure also contributes to this matter. Plus, a lack of employment opportunities and continued disappointments in various aspects of life pose a major trigger. 

A lack of positive thinking, and continued exposure to negative thoughts and words have brought about negativity in the minds of many people. They do not see a clear way out and think ending life is the last resort. This is also something that continued media exposure can bring about. Amidst such a situation, improving people’s mental health should be a top priority. The growing violence really calls for a need to accord high priority to create peace and stability in various realms of human life. 

There has been a growing tendency of depression, suicidal thoughts and making impulsive decision to even commit in murders. As society, we are in need of making transformations. In the coming days too, such incidents are bound to happen. To prevent them, we have to be more attentive. The police must act as a more proactive agency. More importantly, improving socio-economic situation of the country could help prevent people from becoming erratic and irrational in their decisions and actions.