Mumbai cop recalls how she prevented woman from killing herself

Inspector Shalini Sharma. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

'If you jump, I jump,' isn't just a memorable quote from the 1997 movie 'Titanic'. On Friday, it is what helped police inspector Shalini Sharma convince a suicidal woman from taking her own life. Sharma spoke to mid-day about how she talked the 30-year-old lawyer off the ledge of a 20-storey under-construction building in Wadala, which began with a call from ACP Dinesh Doshi. Her feat was reported on May 6, 'Lawyer counselled back to life within 2 feet of suicide.'

She said, "I was on my way to Vishnu Chandra Sky [the building where the incident took place]. I didn't know who she was, where she lives or which language she speaks. When I reached the spot, the security guard told us that the woman is on the 18th floor. I started climbing up, without any plan in my mind."

However, Sharma wasn't walking into unchartered territory, "I'd done a similar thing in March 2013, when a 17-year-old girl was standing on a parapet, wanting to give up her life. I was successful that time, but this time I did not know what the scenario was going to be."

Hello from the other side
"When I reached the 18th floor, I saw a woman, in her 30s, clad in a salwar-kurta. She was standing near the parapet; her footwear was lying on the other side. I sensed it as a sign of danger. I have received formal training in Hostage Negotiation and Crisis Management, which teaches us how to communicate with people in distress and divert them from taking any drastic steps. A person who is depressed and wants to give up their life, first takes off their footwear," said Sharma.

"Initially, I started talking to her in English, as I didn't know which language she spoke. She replied in fluent English. Then, I began talking about things other than suicide, which is more important in such cases," Sharma added.

Everything and nothing
"First I asked her, what would happen to her parents if she commits suicide. This made her rather emotional," recounts Sharma, adding, "She was continuously saying, "There is nothing" and I had to break her series of thoughts, so I said, "There is everything, if you look at it that way."

"Whenever I went near her, she got irritated and spoke fast. So I made her comfortable by telling her nobody is coming near her or harm her. I even asked other officials to stay back and keep fire brigade officials out of her sight. But I needed some help from my staff, who can overpower her at time of crisis. I called a constable with a water bottle and flung it towards her. By doing this, I went near her. I asked for the cap, then wrote my designation on a paper and threw it towards her."

'If you jump, I jump'
"I was getting confident about saving her. But just to make sure, I told her, 'if you jump, I'll jump too, because if you lose your life, it will be my failure and I cannot take that'. This made her think that by jumping off from there, two lives will be lost. I told her about my family and how they'd lose me. When she was thinking about it, me and another constable went near her. I embraced her and held her. She needed warmth and she got it from me. I talked to her, almost like a toddler, and took her downstairs." Once the lawyer was brought down, she was taken to the KEM Hospital and referred to a psychiatrist.