BENGALURU: Rejection of a marriage alliance over caste differences drove a 21-year-old woman to end her life by hanging from a tree in Cubbon Park near the Bal Bhavan mini-train ride. Her body was found by security guards early on Sunday morning who then alerted the Cubbon Park police.
The deceased, Santoshi N, a native of Nepal who stayed in a rented house with her father at D’Souza Layout near Vittal Mallya Road, worked at a spa in UB City. She was said to be in love with a youth named Naresh, an employee with a private firm, over the past few months.
Police said that on Saturday evening, Naresh decided to take Santoshi home in Sampangiram Nagar to introduce her to his parents and seek their permission to go ahead with their marriage. However, when Naresh’s parents learnt about this, they refused them permission to marry, saying she belonged to a different caste, besides referring to her job profile and her native roots.
Police said Santoshi was upset and vehemently argued with Naresh’s parents over their rejection. They said she reportedly also had a fight with Naresh before stomping out of his house. Police are yet to
ascertain where she went before deciding to take her own life or whether she directly reached the spot where she hanged herself.
Meanwhile, Santoshi’s worried father Kabir Raja on Saturday late night went in search of his daughter as she had not returned home.In a desperate bid to locate her, Kabir contacted all her friends he knew, but in vain. It was only on early Sunday morning after the security guards alerted the Cubbon Park police did the latter carry out a preliminary probe and then inform Kabir about the death.
Having learnt about his daughter’s visit to Naresh’s home, reportedly from the preliminary police probe, Kabir filed a complaint with Cubbon Park police against Naresh alleging he had abetted his daughter’s suicide.Naresh has gone missing and police are trying to find out whether he left home looking for Santoshi on Saturday night itself or later.
Suicide is no way out; there is always help
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in emotional distress, help is always available. You can get in touch with the SAHAI helpline at 080-25497777, open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 10pm, or 104 Arogya Sahayavani which is available 24/7.