Bangalore:
A 19-year-old girl set herself ablaze after her parents refused to allow her to continue a romantic relationship with a boy of her choice. The girl's extreme step claimed her life and had residents panicking after the fire threatened to engulf the whole apartment building on JC Road, where she lived with her parents.
Dhanalaxmi, who hails from Salem in Tamil Nadu was in love with a boy in the Bangalore, but her parents were opposed to it and they had a heated argument with her yesterday at about 6.30 pm. Dhanalaxmi then rushed to the terrace of the third storey, doused herself with kerosene and set herself ablaze in the utility room.
The utility room was stocked with flammable waste material such as cloth and plastic, which soon turned into a fireball the police said. Though the flames caused some damage to the building, no other residents were injured.
The thick smoke emitting from the building drew crowds of onlookers, which eventually caused traffic jam in the area. The fire department dispatched two firetenders and a fire motorbike to battle the flames. As Dhanalakshmi had suffered 90 per cent burn injuries, she was rushed to Victoria Hospital. But doctors there declared her brought dead.
"We saw thick smoke coming from the building. We thought the whole building had caught fire, but later we found that it was a suicide case," said Munivenkatappa, a textile merchant on JC Road.
Killer love listNovember 9: After his advances were spurned by a girl, a 24-year-old youth jumped off a five-storey building in full public view on Museum Road, even as police and fire personnel watched helplessly.
November 4: A 29-year-old tempo driver allegedly attempted suicide by slashing his wrist and stabbing himself in the throat in front of his former lover's house in Ulsoor.
September 20: A depressed first year MBA student of IIM Bangalore committed suicide after her boyfriend changed his status from 'engaged to single' in Facebook without notifying her.
May 17: A 27-year-old woman committed suicide in Ulsoor over harassment from her husband and decided to kill herself.