Kolkata man jumps off bridge into Hooghly river

Kolkata: A man parked his motorcycle on the Vivekananda Setu in Kolkata, climbed the railing and clung on to it for a while as passersby stopped and tried to convince him, but he jumped into the Hooghly river below a few minutes later, triggering panic on Saturday morning, police said.

The incident happened around 7.45 am, following which a search was started for him in the river, they said.

The man, identified as a lawyer practicing at the Sealdah court, was a resident of the Phoolbagan area, they added.

"He parked his motorcycle beside the railing, then climbed it to jump into the Hooghly. He held onto the railing for a while with passersby trying to convince him to come down. But, he jumped into the waters after a few minutes," an officer of the Hastings police station said.

Personnel of the Kolkata Police's disaster management team were searching for the man, he said.

"We have recovered the bike, and from it, the man was identified. We have spoken to his family. Initial probe revealed that he was suffering from acute depression," the officer said.