TN woman dies by suicide believing compensation for death will help towards son’s fee

A woman is seen walking briskly on the side of a road. Noticing an approaching bus she runs towards it and gets knocked down. She dies almost instantaneously. This incident took place on June 28 in the 2nd Agraharam Street in Tamil Nadu’s Salem. Almost three weeks later, the police probing the death have shockingly found that 46-year-old Paappathi killed herself to meet her son’s education expenses. The woman believed that she would receive financial compensation for her death, which would help pay her children’s fees.

Paapathi was a temporary conservancy worker at the Salem collectorate. A single parent, she is survived by a college-going son, daughter, and mother.

When police officials checked the CCTV footage from the street where the accident took place, they found that before being mowed down by the bus, Paappathi had attempted suicide in a similar manner earlier in the day. But she survived with minor injuries.

The Salem Town police had earlier booked a case under sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304 (A) (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

 Further inquiry by the police revealed that the woman was extremely worried as she was unable to pay Rs 45,000 towards her son’s college fees. According to reports, she was misled into believing that she would get compensation if she killed herself in an “accident”.

Talking to TNM, the B1 Salem Town police inspector said that Paappathi was getting Rs 10,000 monthly salary for her work as a temporary sweeper. “She was living alone with her daughter and son for the last 18 years after separating from her husband. It was very difficult for her to make ends meet. Her daughter is now a final year engineering student and her son is pursuing Diploma in Architecture at a private college. So far she managed her finances by taking loans and repaying them. Our inquiry revealed that she was under stress about her daughter’s marriage and her son’s education expenses,” he said. Someone told her that if she was killed in a road accident, the bus company (if private bus) or the government (if government bus) would pay compensation to her children. She believed this and took the extreme step, he further added.

If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.