A dramatic rescue on Friday afternoon prevented a potential tragedy in Ahmedabad, when a young man who jumped into the Sabarmati River was saved by the quick thinking of a passerby using a rope from his goods vehicle. The incident, which occurred from the Dadhichi Bridge, has once again cast a spotlight on the critical need for robust suicide prevention infrastructure along the city's largest water body.
A Desperate Cry for Help and an Improvised Rescue
The events unfolded around 4 PM on Friday. According to accounts, a young man, described as "barely an adult" by rescue officials, leapt from the Dadhichi Bridge into the waters of the Sabarmati. However, he soon appeared to regret his decision and began struggling to stay afloat, thrashing in the water and barely keeping his face above the surface.
Traffic on the bridge slowed to a crawl as concerned onlookers stopped to assess the situation. In a stroke of fortune, an autorickshaw transporting goods was passing by. The driver, recognising the emergency, acted swiftly. He pulled out a rope typically used to secure cargo to the rear of his vehicle and threw one end towards the distressed youth.
Videos circulating on social media captured the tense moment as the young man managed to grab hold of the lifeline. Multiple people on the bridge then held the rope taut, keeping him from being swept away until professional help could arrive.
River Rescue Team Takes Over, Reveals Tragic Motive
Meanwhile, alert citizens had informed the fire control room. A River Rescue Team was dispatched and reached the spot promptly. Bharat Mangela, a member of the two-person team, described the scene. "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," Mangela told The Indian Express.
Upon being coaxed after the rescue, the teenager revealed the heartbreaking reason behind his extreme step. He told officials that his family was facing dire financial straits and that he felt he had "nothing to live for." After receiving initial care, the young man was handed over to the Riverfront (East) police station. The Police Station Officer confirmed that they recorded his statement, contacted his parents, and sent him home with them.
A Recurring Tragedy and Missing Lifelines
This rescue comes just 37 days after a similar incident on the very same bridge. On November 26, 2025, a young man was prevented from jumping by bystanders who used a bulldozer's front scoop to pull him to safety from the outer ledge.
Alarmingly, the Friday incident occurred merely four days after a report highlighted the disappearance of suicide prevention signboards from bridges over the Sabarmati. These signboards, installed in February 2025, featured the toll-free number (1800-233-3330) for the Jeevan Aastha Helpline (JAH). In numerous instances over the past two years, these signboards have been instrumental in saving lives, as individuals called the helpline and received counselling or had police dispatched in time.
However, as reported by The Indian Express on December 29, 2025, in a story titled "Missing Lifelines: Why have suicide helpline signboards vanished from Ahmedabad’s river bridges?", these crucial signs had gone missing by the end of the year, leaving no immediate source of help for those in crisis on the bridges.
The statistics for the Sabarmati River are grim. Over an 11-year period from 2014 to 2024, the river witnessed 2,392 suicide attempts – averaging two attempts every three days. Tragically, 1,908 lives were lost in that period, meaning one death every two days. With only 484 people saved, the mortality rate in the city's largest water body stands at a staggering nearly 80 percent.
This latest rescue, while successful, underscores a persistent and deadly pattern. It reinforces that physical barriers like metal fences are insufficient on their own. The incident is a stark reminder that continuous, visible mental health interventions, maintained infrastructure like helpline signboards, and heightened public vigilance are essential to combat the tragic loss of life in the Sabarmati River.
