Date:02/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/02/stories/2009010252740300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Woman hangs herself , husband follows suit

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: A woman hanged herself in front of her eight-year-old son near Vidyaranyapura on Tuesday night. Her husband, who learned of the death, told the child to wait outside and ended his life using the same rope.

Nirmala Kumari (32) and Anand (39), who lived on 2nd Main of Chamundeshwari Layout, hanged themselves between 11.30 p.m. of Tuesday and 12.30 a.m. of Wednesday.

According to their son Kishore, Nirmala Kumari first committed suicide by hanging herself.

After one hour, his father arrived and found that his wife had committed suicide. Soon after, he too ended his life.

According to the police, before taking the extreme step, Anand cut the rope from his wife’s body and hanged himself with it.

Suicide notes

Nirmala Kumari’s suicide note reportedly said: “It is very difficult to live with a man like Anand. Instead of living with him, it is better to commit suicide.”

Anand’s suicide note reportedly said: “I lost my wife. She made my child an orphan. I cannot live without my wife and I am ending my life.”

They were married for 10 years. However, Nirmala Kumari’s father Venkataramanappa, a retired Block Development Officer, alleged that unable to bear the harassment and torture by her husband and in-laws, his daughter committed suicide.

“Mr. Venkataramanappa has filed a complaint against Nirmala Kumari’s mother-in-law Padmamma, brother-in-law Ramesh, sister-in-law Shobha, and her husband Kempe Gowda, who are absconding. The police have recovered two suicide notes,” K.M. Subrahmanya, Inspector of Vidyaranyapura police station, told The Hindu.

Anand was working as a car driver for a company at Bengaluru International Airport, the police said.