A 75-year-old man tried to kill his his 22-year-old mentally ill son by throwing hot water on him in a village near Usilampatti in the district on Saturday.
P Subramanian (75) of Karuthi Veeranpatti, near Usilampatti, had two sons and two daughters. His youngest son Ganesan (22) was mentally-challenged since birth. Though Subramanian had been taking care of Ganesan, locals had been complaining that Ganesan was pelting stones at them, damaging water tanks and cutting wires of pump motors. Recently, villagers reprimanded Subramanian after Ganesan damaged some of their properties. Though Subramanian launched a search for Ganesan, he could not trace him.
Meanwhile on Friday night, while Subramanian was asleep, Ganesan returned to the house. Late in the night, when Subramanian woke up he found Ganesan lying next to him. Subramanian, in a fit of anger, allegedly threw hot water on Ganesan and tried to kill him.
Scalded, Ganesan rushed out of the house screaming in agony. Neighbours immediately rushed him to the GRH, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. On information, SP V Balakrishnan directed Usilampatti taluk police to book a case against Subramanian