In a tragic incident, a first-year student of a private women's college killed herself by self-immolation on Thursday morning reportedly because she was unable to cope with the English medium of instruction.
According to The Times of India, S Rajalakshmi (17), a B Com student, set herself ablaze at her residence in Vaamadam near Thennur after her mother, a housemaid, went to work.
The Thillai Nagar police recovered a suicide note left behind by the young student. In it, Rajalakshmi had mentioned that the lack of proficiency in English forced her to end her life and get rid of the mental agony she was undergoing.
Rajalakshmi did not blame anyone said it was due to the lack of English proficiency. On completion of her school education in Tamil medium this year, Susheela had enrolled Rajalakshmi in a college where the medium of instruction was English. She is said to have been depressed to study in an atmosphere where girls from English medium schools were a majority.
Her mother even asked the college administration to change her to another course to let her study in Tamil. However, the college assured they will take care of her,” said her uncle Muruganandham.
Previously, 2 IIT students - a research scholar and the wife of a professor - were found hanging in their rooms at the Indian Institute of Technology or IIT Madras campus on uly 13. Police say 34-year-old post-doctoral scholar P Maheswari and 47-year-old Vijaya Lakshmi committed suicide. They were both mothers of young children.
Another case the rocked the city in March was the suicide of a first year engineering student of Sri Sairam Engineering College. T Abhinath, of Perambalur district, was studying mechanical engineering and was a hostel resident.