VELLORE: In what is becoming an increasingly common tragedy, stress and depression are causing many to commit suicide, leaving no age group free from self-immolation. In the latest of such incidents, a 21 year-old man and a 15 year-old girl committed suicide in two separate incidents.
Sivakumar (21), formerly a resident of Kalapadi near Gudiyattam, was admitted to Chennai’s Kilapuk Medical College and Hospital on Friday evening with severe self-inflicted burn injuries, where he died without responding to treatment. A 15 year-old girl, studying in 10th standard at a private higher secondary school in Kaniyambadi, whose name has been withheld, hanged herself in her room from the ceiling fan leaving a suicide note expressing regret in not doing well in examination.
Sivakumar, son of Raj Kannan, was scolded by his father and elder brother on October 12, for remaining unemployed. Sivakumar, becoming depressed, set himself ablaze in his home.
“He dropped out of school, and was unable to stick to a job. He was blackmailing his parents that he would commit suicide for the past one month and finally immolated himself last Sunday” according to a police official.
Sivakumar was initially taken to Gudiyattam GH and later referred to Government Vellore Medical College and Hospital. He was finally taken to Chennai’s Kilapuk Medical College and Hospital where he died without responding to treatment.
In another unrelated suicide, a 15-year-old girl hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her home, in the early hours of Saturday.
“Around 4.30 am, her mother Sujatha found her daughter hanging from the ceiling fan with a sari,” according to Investigation Officer, Babu.
Her parents found a suicide note in her school bag in which the girl pleaded with her parents to forgive her and stated that no one was responsible for her suicide. “I found one lemon with turmeric powder coated in our terrace. After that I couldn’t study and also didn’t do my recent exams well. I don’t know what has happened to me,” the girl said in her suicide note.
“The reason for the suicide could have been her fear of being reprimanded by her parents thinking that she may have fared badly in her recent exams,” according to Babu.
Babu further said, “she had got 457 marks out of 500 in her subjects.” She was declared ‘brought dead’ at the Government Vellore Medical College and Hospital.
Cases have been filed for both deaths and separate investigations are on.