Rourkela: High drama unfolded near Munda Market area of Sector -19 in this town Thursday after a man climbed on top a tree and threatened to commit suicide. Local people first spotted the man perched atop the tree. He drew the attention of passers-by by shouting that he was going to end his life by jumping off the tree.
As news spread, a huge crowd gathered at the spot to witness a scene which seemed straight out of a film. Many were seen talking about the film Sholay where ‘Viru’ (Dharmendra) climbed on top of a water tank and threatened to jump if his marriage proposal to ‘Basanti’ was not finalised.
The crowd here however, did not make any attempt to persuade the man to come down. None of them also dared to go up.
On being informed, fire brigade personnel reached the spot. While some of them kept the man engaged in conversation, others climbed up the tree in an effort to bring the man down.
After nearly an hour-long operation, they succeeded in bringing the man down. He was immediately rushed to Ispat General Hospital for treatment.
For obvious reasons the identity of the man was not disclosed by the authorities. However, a probe has been launched by the police to ascertain why the man wanted to take such a desperate measure. Some questioned whether the man was suffering from mental health problems.
PNN