Bengaluru Metro suicide: Depressed over job issues, man dies after jumping in front of train; commuters demand safety doors | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: Namma Metro services on the Yellow Line were disrupted for more than two hours on Monday evening after a 37-year-old passenger died by suicide by jumping in front of a moving train at Huskur station on Hosur Road, once again bringing focus on the long-standing demand for platform screen doors (PSDs) at Metro stations.The incident occurred around 5.50pm, following which services between Bommasandra and Electronics City were suspended.Normal operations across the entire 19km Yellow Line stretch from Bommasandra to RV Road resumed around 8pm.The deceased was identified as Rajesh Hiremath, a social media content creator and resident of Anantnagar, Hebbagodi.Police said Hiremath, who was unmarried and originally from Raichur, lived in Bengaluru with his mother.Police said no suicide note was found and that he had slipped into depression over job-related issues.Police said Hiremath had worked with a YouTube channel for around a year before quitting four months ago.He came under a train travelling from Bommasandra towards RV Road and succumbed to his injuries at the spot.According to BMRCL, the train operator noticed the passenger on the track, immediately applied emergency brakes and alerted the Operations Control Centre.Traction power was switched off, while station staff and Metro security personnel were mobilised. Police were also informed.“Upon noticing the passenger on the track, the train operator immediately applied emergency brakes and alerted the Operations Control Centre. Traction power was switched off, and station staff and Metro security personnel were mobilised. Police were also informed immediately,” BMRCL said in a statement.After the track was cleared and mandatory safety inspections completed, traction power was restored at 7.42pm, with services resuming at 8pm.BMRCL said refunds for online tickets involving curtailed journeys would be processed on Tuesday.The incident has once again brought attention to the demand for installing platform screen doors at Metro stations to prevent suicide attempts and accidental falls onto tracks.However, BMRCL, which operates Namma Metro, currently has no immediate plans to install PSDs across its operational network of 96km with 83 stations.As a safety measure, BMRCL has installed steel barricades at high-footfall stations including Majestic Interchange station, MG Road, Indiranagar, Benniganahalli and RV Road.BMRCL has already proposed installing PSDs at 177 stations, including existing operational stations, as part of the detailed project report for the proposed Hebbal-Sarjapur Metro line under Phase 3A.The project is awaiting final approval from the central government.Since Metro services were launched in 2011, several incidents involving suicides, suicide attempts and accidental falls have been reported across the network.Between 2012 and 2025, four passengers died by suicide after jumping in front of moving trains at Metro stations.At least 16 passengers attempted suicide, while there were 23 incidents of unauthorised entry onto tracks and seven cases of passengers accidentally falling onto tracks.Two suicide-related incidents were reported in July this year, including the fatal incident at Huskur station.In the earlier incident, a woman who jumped onto the track at Rajajinagar station was rescued by security staff.Metro commuters have long been demanding the installation of PSDs to prevent suicide attempts and accidental falls onto tracks.“Passengers have been demanding for years that BMRCL install PSDs, but the corporation has not taken immediate steps. BMRCL should take measures to prevent such incidents in future. Such matters also cause major inconvenience to commuters,” said Sreenath, a Metro user.BMRCL chief public relations officer BL Yeshwanth Chavan said steel barricades had been installed at high-footfall stations as a precautionary measure.“At present, steel barricades have been installed at high-footfall stations as a precautionary measure. These help in maintaining passenger queues and preventing accidental falls onto tracks. As part of future Metro network expansion plans, there are proposals to install platform screen doors at both existing and upcoming stations.”