KOCHI: A 29-year-old man allegedly ended his life shortly after his wife’s death at a hospital in Manjummel on Saturday night.
The body of Emmanuel, a native of Alangad near Paravoor, was found hanging in the X-ray room of St Joseph Hospital on Sunday morning. It is believed he ended his life minutes after doctors declared his wife, Maria Rose, 21, dead around 10.30 pm on Saturday.
Maria, who lived in Kongorpilly, had been hospitalised after she tried to end her life, said a police officer. Married for three years, the couple leaves behind a one-and-a-half-year-old child and a one-month-old baby.
“An employee who arrived for work found Emmanuel hanging in the X-ray room early Sunday morning. She screamed and alerted the others,” said the officer, adding that the preliminary probe suggested Emmanuel took the extreme step as he was distraught over his wife’s death. “We are probing all angles,” said the officer.
A resident said Maria had attempted to end her life on Saturday evening, after returning home from an outing. “It seemed the couple had an argument that left her disturbed. She also might have been upset as Emmanuel had been in a dispute with a neighbour shortly before she tried to end her life,” said the resident, adding that after Maria’s failed suicide bid, Emmanuel rushed her to St Joseph Hospital, where she died.
Binanipuram SHO V R Sunil said the minor fractures on the woman’s body indicate the couple had a fight and there was an assault. “We have yet to determine the reason behind the suicide,” he said.
It is suspected Maria tried to end her life using the rope from her newborn’s cradle.
Sunil said the couple had also been in dispute with Maria’s family after marriage, and one such argument was resolved through police mediation.
The police have registered a case under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhitha (BNSS) (investigation into suicide) and launched a probe.
(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.)
