THOOTHUKUDI: A 10-year-old girl reportedly set herself ablaze after her parents rebuked for not going to school. According to sources, the deceased has been identified as M Shanmugalakshmi (10) from Panayaru and was studying in Class V at Hindu Nadar Middle School.
Her father, Mariappan, is an iron scrap vendor in Chennai and her mother, Annapushpam, is a salt pan worker. On Thursday, Shanmugalakshmi set herself on fire when her parents were out for work. Upon return, Annapushpam found Shanmugalakshmi burning and rushed her to a nearby hospital. However, doctors declared her to be dead. The Kulathur police registered a case and were investigating.
Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.