Covid19 has not yet entered Meghalaya and we hope and pray that it does not. But on March 30 this Virus indirectly claimed its first victim, Aldrin Lyngdoh who died of suicide in distant Agra. Aldrin was working at a food court in Agra run by a powerful family but his job was terminated after the lockdown. This left him completely helpless, more so since he had no family back home. Perhaps this sense of loneliness and helplessness was what pushed him to take the desperate step of taking his own life. We are no sure how many migrant workers from Meghalaya are currently working in different states of India. Many of them have been skilled by the Government to take up jobs in the hospitality industry where they are provided a place to stay and food to eat, over and above their salaries. There is no record as to how many have returned home to Meghalaya post the lockdown and what is the number of those who have stayed back at their place of work. Until the outbreak of Covid19 there has been no helpline by which these migrant workers could call in case of distress.
Aldrin Lyngdoh sent his dying wish to Robin Hibu a senior IPS officer working with Delhi Police who also runs an NGO- ‘Helping Hands’ which assists hundreds of North Easteners, especially women who are regularly violated and left high and dry by male partners/husbands. When Hibu got the message he gave Aldrin the phone number of a local NGO in Shillong which counsels young people. Aldrin called and spoke to them but soon disconnected the call and never picked up calls that were later made by the NGO. Perhaps by then Aldrin had decided that there was no going back and that life was not worth living.
Many young people today lead desperate lives and have no social support system. Their families don’t understand them and it’s a daily struggle both for the youth and the family. Many a times the youth is labelled as a trouble maker, a no-do-gooder and ends up being imprisoned by drugs or alcohol just to drown his/her frustration. In Aldrin’s case, though he had a criminal background as a petty thief, he decided to make something of his life but that opportunity was snatched away from him by the lockdown. Who knows how many silently suffer Aldrin’s fate. The Special Superintendent Police (SSP), Agra said that after the lockdown there were several suicide cases.
Meghalaya society used to be known for its social support system but this is quickly eroding after neo-liberalism has taken over. Faith-based institutions need to do more to find the lost rather than to cater to the church or temple-going faithful. Tribal society needs to refocus its priorities, reclaim and reinforce its social capital