Purnea: Amid the Maha Kumbh celebrations, a 14-year-old girl allegedly died by suicide, reportedly after being refused permission to accompany her family members to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj due to her studies.
The incident that occurred a day after the girl's parents, younger brother and maternal grandparents left for Kumbh Mela without her, was revealed when her grandparents went to wake her up for school this morning. After finding the door locked from inside, her grandparents peeped through the window and found her lying unconscious.
The girl, a student of class 9 was eager to visit Kumbh Mela but her parents refused saying it would hamper her studies. "After her parents, maternal grandparents and brother left for Kumbh Mela, she stopped talking to us and went to bed without dinner. We tried a lot to convince her, but she did not listen. At that time we thought she was upset and her anger will subside by morning," the girl's grandmother said.
On hearing her grandparents crying, neighbours came to the house and got the door broken open. After this, they informed the girl's parents and police. Meanwhile, the girl's parents returned home from mid-way.
"As soon as information of the incident was received, a team reached the spot. The body was taken into custody and sent to Medical College, Purnea for postmortem. The family members present in the girl's house informed that she took the drastic step as her parents had not taken her to Kumbh Mela. Prima facie it seems to be a case of suicide but further investigations are underway," Santosh Kumar, sub-inspector, Banmankhi police station said.
Suicide is not a solution: If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.
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