COIMBATORE: The brutal murder of a young woman’s parents and grandmother in the Nilgiris on Saturday night by her estranged boyfriend is a continuation of a disturbing pattern witnessed in several parts of the State. There have been numerous incidents of youth physically attacking women who have rejected their proposals or fallen out of a relationship.
Only recently, a youth had inflicted injuries on a teenager’s face near the Aliyar dam in Pollachi when she refused to reciprocate his love. Three days ago, a dejected Romeo in Chennai had injured a 19-year-old girl’s face in Chennai’s Egmore Railway Station.
These instances apart, there have been cases where acid has been thrown on women, even in cases where it has been a one-sided affair. The most infamous acid attack cases in recent memory were that of Vinodhini of Karaikal and Vidya of Chennai, both of whom died.
Psychiatrists say that such physical retaliation is a result of psychological intolerance on the part of the male. “Lack of emotional tolerance forces a man into such impulsive actions. When his love proposal gets rejected, he becomes aggressive and emotionally imbalanced. He is not in a state of mind to think about the dire consequences of his action,” says Dr K Radhakrishnan at the Naveen Hospital for Mental Health and De-addiction in Coimbatore.
Also, he points to another extreme where some men also end their lives following a failed love affair.
In fact, two years ago, a well educated youth stabbed his classmate at her house, set himself on fire and embraced her in flames in Vadavalli in Coimbatore.
Dr D Srinivasan, chief psychiatrist at KMCH feels that a false belief or delusion on the part of the man leads him to commit violence on the opposite sex. “Present day living, culture and atmosphere at educational institutions offer adequate room for close interaction between men and women. At times, delusions rule immature minds where one gets false glimpses of love,” he says.
In many cases, the offender hails from a background where he had been denied of love and care by parents, and peer groups.