On the Death of a Supermodel

Suicides are usually a result of mental illness, but we are always searching for a culprit.

Viveka Babajee’s diary ended with a disturbingly direct statement, ‘You killed me Gautam.’ In the supermodel’s death, there is the obvious tragedy of a human being so traumatised as to end her life, but it still begs the question: was it really Gautam Vora, the stock analyst who barely knew her for two months, who ‘killed’ her or was it not she herself who did it? When we hear about a suicide, the first instinctive reaction is to affix blame, to search for a culprit and then ensure punishment. In our minds, suicide is the result of a crime, not a mental illness.

But that is just not true in the rest of the world, says Dr Amresh Shrivasatava, an Indian psychiatrist who has worked on preventing suicide. “Abetment to suicide is a crime unique to our country. Everywhere else, suicide is a medical issue. More than 50 per cent of the people who commit suicide have a history of being treated for mental ailments, and would have visited their doctors less than a month ago. They reach out for help in various ways.” In Viveka’s case, she called her mother and close friend the night before she hanged herself. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 65 million Indians suffer from mental illnesses. Yet, we know so little about it. This, along with a history of social evils like dowry and sati where others played a role in someone’s death, have led to suicide being considered a crime by the IPC. “We are unable to distinguish between suicide and murder,” says Dr Shrivasatava.

Viveka’s last line has turned into a public noose for Gautam Vora. But is there any legal crime committed here beside a love affair gone irreparably sour? Gautam may not go to jail for the moment, though just to be sure, he has sought anticipatory bail. But in large sections of the public mind, he is already guilty of a crime no one is clear about. 

Suicides are an ethically skewed territory. No matter how liberal a society may be, the right to take your own life isn’t a straightforward one. Which is why many suicide notes emphasise that they take responsibility for their actions, and hold no one else accountable. Some, like Viveka’s, turn out to be a cry for justice against perceived wrongs. But in both cases, there is often a mental illness ticking in the background.

About The Author

Shubhangi Swarup