Hanging Cases in Amch Mortuary, Dibrugarh, Assam- Two Years Study

Abstract

BACKGROUNDHanging is one of the commonest method of suicide in India. Increasing stress and strain of modern days becomes a common cause of people taking their own life to overcome the miserable situation they face. Though hanging is almost always suicidal, there are situations where it is found to be homicidal or it looks like suicidal hanging. Detailed post-mortem examination and also crime scene investigation helps to understand the manner of death. This study was conducted to see hanging related death in depth so that it helps to opine the manner of death as well as understand the circumstances of death which will definitely help to design a method to decease the suicidal rate. MATERIAL AND METHODSThe present study was undertaken for two years during January 2014 to December 2015 at the mortuary of Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam to know various autopsy findings and analysis of sociodemographic data. All hanging death cases which came for post-mortem examination were included in the study. The data was obtained in predesigned proforma and analysed accordingly. Study Design-It is an observational descriptive study. RESULTSOut of 2811 total number of autopsies done during the said period, 169 (6%) cases died due to hanging. Incidences of hanging were found to be more in males; a total of 122 (72%). Study showed higher number of incidences in married group and of lower socioeconomic status people. The deaths were more in the age group of 21-30 years (33.13%). In maximum number of cases, victims used soft material as ligature. CONCLUSIONSuicide rate is seen more in the younger generation which may reflect the fact that these people may be at greater stress due to poverty, illiteracy, marital disharmony, stress at work place and also dowry related matters. All the cases showed typical findings of ante-mortem suicidal hanging like obliquity and non-continuity of the ligature mark. KEYWORDS BACKGROUNDHanging is defined as a violent form of asphyxia where a person is suspended by a ligature around his neck and the constricting force being the weight of the body. Hanging deaths are generally taken as suicidal unless proved otherwise. Hanging is considered to be one of the commonest method of suicide all over the world. The increasing stress and strain of modern day-to-day life along with poverty makes people to commit suicide. As our community is male dominated, he is exposed to the majority of stress alone, more than the female which is reflected in the fact that suicide rate by hanging is more in males. Present study tries to elaborate