A young man who jumped into the Sabarmati River from Dadhichi bridge was saved after a passerby threw him a rope from his goods vehicle. (Express Photo)
An incident on a bridge along the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad on Friday reinforced the goodness of human nature towards those in need and highlighted the need for stronger suicide prevention measures along the largest water body in the city.
On Friday evening, a young man, who allegedly jumped off the Dadhichi bridge into the river, appeared to realise that he made a mistake and began thrashing for help, barely able to keep his face above the water surface.
Traffic came to a crawl on the bridge as people stopped their vehicles to see if they could help the young man.
Fortunately, an autorickshaw transporting goods passed through the bridge at the same time and the driver, realising the emergency, pulled out a rope used to latch goods to the rear portion of his vehicle and threw one end into the water near the youth, who was struggling to keep his head above the water and breathe. Videos that surfaced on social media showed the young man catching hold of the rope.
Meanwhile, someone at the spot informed the fire control room and a River Rescue Team soon reached the spot.
Bharat Mangela, one of the two members of the River Rescue Team, told the Indian Express, “The incident took place around 4 pm and we received a call shortly afterwards. When we reached the spot below Dadhichi bridge, the youth was holding on to the rope that was being held tight by multiple people on the bridge. We pulled him into the boat and he was fine after a while.”
However, the River Rescue Team also said the youngster they rescued was “barely an adult” and when coaxed, told them that his family was in dire financial straits and that “he had nothing to live for”, which is why he tried to take the extreme step.
The young man was handed over to the Riverfront (East) police station. The Police Station Officer (PSO) told the Indian Express that they had taken a statement of the young man, called his parents and sent him home with them.
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Need for mental health access
The incident took place just four days after The Indian Express, reported on the need to replace the missing suicide prevention signboards on the bridges over the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, once again proving that the physical metal barriers are not enough, and that more interventions are required to provide help to those looking to attempt suicide.
There have been several incidents over the last two years when people, having seen the suicide prevention signboards with the toll free number (1800-233-3330) of the Jeevan Aastha Helpline (JAH) have been saved in the nick of time by counselling and rescue by dispatch of police personnel. However, this youth did not get such help as the signboards put up in February 2025, went missing by the end of the year. The Indian Express reported on this phenomenon in the story, “Missing Lifelines: Why have suicide helpline signboards vanished from Ahmedabad’s river bridges?” on December 29, 2025.
Second Incident in 37 days
Notably, a similar incident took place on the same Dadhichi bridge just 37 days ago on November 26, 2025, when a young man climbed over the 6-ft-tall bridge barrier, and positioned himself on the outer ledge, about to jump into the river in a bid to end his life. He was saved by bystanders who stopped a bulldozer and made the operator put out its front scoop over the metal fence, and then pulled up the youth, saving his life.
Deaths on the Sabarmati River
The Sabarmati River is a major suicide spot in the city, with 2,392 attempts in 11 years (2014-24), which amounts to two suicide attempts every 3 days.
Data shows that 1,908 lives were lost in the past 11 calendar years between 2014 and 2024. This amounts to one death every two days.
With only 484 people having been saved alive from the river in 11 years, the mortality rate in the city’s largest water body is nearly 80 per cent.
Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters.
Expertise
Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat.
Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border.
Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad.
Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read More
