KOLLAM: Two teenage girls undergoing training at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Kollam centre were found hanging in their hostel room on Thursday morning. The deceased have been identified as Sandra, a native of Kozhikode, and Vaishnavi, 16, of Thiruvananthapuram.
Sandra was a Plus Two student, while Vaishnavi was in Class X. According to SAI sources, Sandra was training in athletics, while Vaishnavi was into Kabaddi. The two were found hanging off the hooks of the ceiling fan, which the police suspect was a case of suicide.
The incident came to light when the coaches and fellow trainees found them missing from morning training session. When they went to the room, it was locked from inside. One of the window panes was open and the fellow trainees, who checked through it, found the duo dead. As per the statement given by other trainees, the two were spotted together till the wee hours of Thursday.
Police told TNIE that they recovered two suicide notes from the room. Sandra and Vaishnavi were staying in the same room along with three other girls. However, the two forcefully shifted the trio to another room on Wednesday night.
The police’s initial assessment is that the duo took their own lives. The suicide notes addressed to the parents said they were taking the drastic step due to personal reasons.
Three of the male friends of the deceased were recently suspended from the centre due to indiscipline. Sandra and Vaishnavi were afraid that they might also have to face disciplinary action owing to their friendship with the suspended boys. They were afraid that their parents may know about the matter and took their own lives under mental duress, police sources added.
“If they had got a single session of counselling, this would not have happened,” said an official. Vaishnavi’s body was handed over to her family after autopsy, while Sandra’s autopsy will be conducted on Friday after the arrival of her parents.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)