Arjun Bhardwaj, a 23-year-old student, committed suicide by jumping off his room on the 19th floor of the Taj Lands End Hotel in Bandra (West) around 6.30 pm on Monday. Bhardwaj, who was a student of Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Vile Parle (West), left a suicide note that said that he was depressed.
According to the police, Bhardwaj checked into a suite at the hotel at 3:30 am on Monday. Several hours later, the student reportedly broke the double pane window using a chair and jumped. The security guards at the hotel rushed after hearing a loud "thud" and found his body. The police found a suicide note which said: "I'm a drug addict...I don't want to live anymore and hence committing suicide."
Before killing himself, Bhardwaj streamed a Facebook Live video which was a "tutorial about how to (commit) suicide." He is seen dressed in a bathrobe and is smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. "Step 1, write notes to people...step 2, get drunk, Step 3...enjoy the view, Step 4...have bacon pasta," he said in the video, which ended with Bhardwaj saying: "See you guys on the other side." The video went viral on social media.
A security official at the hotel said that Bhardwaj, whose family lives in Bengaluru and have been informed about their son's death, ordered food frequently but didn't cause any trouble. "So, we were unaware of what was going on inside," the official said. "After he broke the glass, he jumped through the window. He left a suicide note saying he was 'badly depressed', addicted to drugs and hence took the step," senior inspector Nivrutti Thakare of the Bandra Police Station was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
The police have registered an accidental death report in the case and have requested the media not to run the video since it is "is disturbing and can have a huge impact on young minds." The Mumbai Police has also reached out to the youth through Twitter and urged them to get in touch with the police saying: "Deeply bereaved with suicide of a young boy in the city. We urge the youngsters to reach out to us #WeAreListening."
Bharadwaj's body was recovered after the police struggled for an hour to get to him as he had fallen on a terrace on the 11th floor. Workers had to crawl through a ventilator shaft to recover his body, following which it was sent for post-mortem. The police also said that Bhardwaj's father had met him a few days ago and was worried about him.
A spokesperson of the Taj Lands End Hotel said: "We will extend our full cooperation to all the investigating authorities concerned. Our heartfelt condolences are with the family of the bereaved."
