Two Madurai students die in suicide pact over teasing in college

MADURAI: Two male students of a private arts college in Madurai city died after consuming poison allegedly on being teased by their classmates. While one of them died a day later on March 2 in hospital, the other youth passed away on Friday night after battling for life at the Government Rajaji Hospital for 13 days. The youths were part of a suicide pact involving one more youth who however did not resort to the extreme step.
Police said the deceased youths, both 18 years old, hailed from Ahimsapuram and Bibikulam while the third was from Aruldosspuram. They were first year BA Economics students at the Thiagarajar arts college at Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam. The youths were very close and used to move together on the college premises. Distraught at being made “fun of” by classmates, the three of them pledged to take poison at the same time. On March 1, they bought fruit juice, mixed poison in it and left with a share each. Police said while two of the youths consumed it at the ‘pre-scheduled’ time, the third youth developed cold feet.

One youth was found unconscious frothing at the mouth on March 2 in his house at Bibikulam. His parents immediately shifted him to a hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead. The youth from Ahimsapuram was rushed to hospital the same night. “He came home around 10 pm on the night of March 1 and went to his room straightaway. Later, his mother heard vomiting sound and went to check on him. She found that he had consumed poison and rushed him to Government Rajaji Hospital,” a relative said. The relatives of the youth were inconsolable in front of the GRH on Friday when the news of his death came.

Tallakulam police had recorded a complaint from the boy’s mother in the community service registry (CSR) on March 4. In her complaint, the woman said that the trio was forced to take the extreme step due to frequent teasing by their classmates led by a boy from Thiruppuvanam.

On allegations of ragging being the cause of the incident, deputy commissioner of police, Madurai city, (law and order) V Sasi Mohan said it was too early to say whether ragging was involved. “We have to see whether the internal ragging committee in the college received a complaint or not and conducted an inquiry with fellow students. We have registered a case on charges of abetment to suicide based on the complaint and further inquiry is under way. An assistant commissioner-level officer has been assigned as investigating officer, he added. College principal D Pandiaraja told TOI that the internal ragging committee had not received any complaint from the deceased students.