Analysis of Profile of Hanging Deaths in Coastal Odisha

Hanging is one of the ten leading causes of death in the world, accounting more than a million deaths annually. In India, hanging is the second most common method of committing suicide, after poisoning. Hanging is a form of death, produced by suspending the body with a ligature round the neck, the constricting force being the weight of the body (or a part of the body weight). A retrospective study was conducted by the authors on a total 134 cases of deaths due to hanging during 2009–2014 at S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack. In this study, the number of female victims 70 (52.2%) were more or less equal to males, 64 (47.8%); 74.3% females, in comparison to 59.4% males, were in the age group 21–40 years. 71.4% female victims were married. The present study also showed that ligature mark was detected on the neck between thyroid cartilage and chin in 80% cases and at the level of thyroid cartilage in 20% cases. Saliva dribbling mark was seen in 16.4% cases while 24.6% victims were of typical hanging, by nature. Cloth based ligature materials were seen in 64.3% cases and rope based materials in 35.7% cases.