CHENNAI: A 22-year-old woman and her husband sustained severe burns after the woman allegedly immolated herself at their house in Kelambakkam on Tuesday and the man tried to rescue her. The police suspect that an argument with her husband about giving their baby for adoption to her elder sister had led to the immolation bid. Both of them suffered 60%-70% burns and are in critical condition.
Kelambakkam police said Rajkumar (28) was employed at a water service company. His wife, R Sandhya (22), had gone to her mother’s house in Perungudi for her delivery. After giving birth to a boy 45 days ago, she returned to her husband’s house in Kelambakkam without the child.
Sandhya told her husband that she had given her son for adoption to her elder sister who was having trouble conceiving. According to sources, this led to an argument between them following which Sandhya set herself on fire. Rajkumar tried to save her, but he also sustained severe burns.
Hearing their cries, their neighbours rushed to the house and took them to a private hospital. The couple was later shifted to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. Police said that they could not immediately confirm if the woman had been experiencing postpartum depression.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 & Sneha helpline 044-24640050)