MADURAI/VIRUDHUNAGAR: On a day when lakhs of students appeared for the public exam, reports of two class 12 students dying by suicide allegedly due to exam pressure, surfaced. One of the deceased, 17-year-old P Sanjai, was staying at his uncle Sub Inspector Rajapandi's house in Avaniyapuram for exam preparation for the last few days.
On Wednesday, his parents came to meet him and offered advice, sources said. However, Sanjai immolated himself in the wee hours of Thursday. Rajapandi also sustained burns while trying to save him. They were rushed to a hospital, but Sanjai breathed his last soon.
Depressed over the death, Sanjai's father Palanibabu (40) too attempted to take the extreme step later in the evening. He is receiving treatment at Thirumangalam government hospital at present. Avaniyapuram police registered a case and commenced inquiries. Palanibabu is a daily wage labourer, police said.
In the second incident, M Dinesh (17) of Soolakkarai near Virudhunagar allegedly died by suicide on Wednesday. He was studying class 12 in a CBSE school at RR Nagar. "My parents invested a lot in me. I cannot fulfil their expectations," the boy's suicide note read. Based on a complaint from Dinesh's father V Murugesan, police have filed a case. Murugesan is a sales representative of a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company.
(Assistance to those having suicidal thoughts is available at Tamil Nadu Health Department Helpline number 104 and Sneha suicide prevention helpline number 044-24640050).