A 50-year old woman today attempted to set herself ablaze at the district collectorate here alleging police apathy over her daughter's suspicious death, bringing back memories of the shocking immolation of a family of four three months ago.
The heavy contingent of police personnel, posted at the collectorate for the grievances day meet in view of the October last incident here, managed to overpower the woman before she could set herself afire near the main gate.
However, the woman's act caused a flutter as it was barely three months ago the collectorate witnessed a similar incident which turned out to be fatal.
On October 23, a young woman and her two children, aged two and five, died on the spot and her husband was critically injured after the couple set themselves and the kids on fire at the collectorate complex in full public view.
They had come to meet the Collector during the weekly grievances day meet over alleged harassment by a moneylender and police.
The 32-year old man also succumbed to burns a few days later with the incident bringing to fore the plight of people suffering from high interest loans and prompting police to tighten security and resort to frisking at the collectorate since then during the grievances day meet held on Mondays.
In today's incident, the woman, Maheswari of Mavadikkal village near Kadayanallur, about 65 km from here, came to present a petition to the District Collector over her daughter's suspicious death.
As District Collector Sandeep Nanduri and officials of various departments were taking part in the grievances day hearing, the woman suddenly doused herself with kerosene near the entrance despite the presence of heavy security.
However, alerted by the kerosene stench, Police personnel swung into action and foiled her bid to set herself afire.
During interrogation, the woman told police that her only daughter died in advanced stage of pregnancy in January, 2016 within a year of her marriage with one Balasubramanian of Vadakari village.
Despite her repeated representations to Kadayanallur police and higher officials seeking a probe, no action was taken.
After she earlier gave a petition to the district collector, local police allegedly called her to the police station and abused her for approaching higher authorities.
In the meanwhile, her estranged son-in-law married another woman and threatened Maheswari not to rake up the death of her daughter.
He had also not returned 30 sovereigns of gold jewels (one sovereign is eight grams) and Rs. one lakh given at the time of marriage, Maheswari alleged.
Later, the woman met the collector and submitted a memorandum.
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