Patna, March 14: The Gandhi Setu is fast earning disrepute for drawing people who are fed up with their lives.

A 15-year-old son of an autorickshaw driver jumped off from the bridge today in a bid to end his life. He was, however, saved by some fishermen who were busy fishing in the river.

The boy, a resident of Belwarganj area under Alamganj police station, later said he was tired of being continuously beaten up his stepmother.

The point from where the 15-year-old jumped into the river is located barely 1.5km from the police picket on the bridge.

The police have been under pressure because of the increasing number of attempts to suicide. This month alone has seen as many as three suicide bids from the bridge.

On March 11, an 18-year-old girl jumped off the bridge from the same spot. She was saved. She told the police she was tired of the constant fights at home and wanted to end her life.

On March 2, Naushad, another teenager living in Alamganj area, jumped off the bridge apparently after he and his friends entered into a bet for the same. The boy’s body is yet to be recovered. The police have arrested the four friends.

A truck fell off from this spot on March 1. Both the driver and his helper had died in the accident.

Two police stations keep tabs on the activities on the 5.575km-long bridge.

Pillar numbers 1 to 36 fall under Vaishali police while pillars 37 to 46 fall under the Alamganj police station.

“Police patrolling is very rare on the bridge. Pillars 42 to 44 witness the maximum number of suicide attempts. The spot is at a distance of just 1.5km from the police outpost. But even then people find it easy to jump off the bridge. The police are just interested in stopping trucks and other heavy vehicles and taking money from them,” a resident of the area said.

The Alamganj police said they were helpless.

“We look after a big stretch on the bridge. If someone suddenly decides to jump off the bridge at night, what can we do?” a police officer of the station said. The officer added that the police do not have adequate resources to patrol the bridge 24 hours a day.