Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Jun 1: In a tragic incident that brought to fore the havoc wreaked by endosulfan on human life, parents of a nine-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide after killing their son in a private hospital in Kanhangad here on Sunday June 1.
The deceased have been identified as Thamban (50), a resident of Cheruvathur, his wife Padmini (42) and their son Karthik (9).
It is said that Karthik, who was a victim of endosulfan, had been admitted to the hospital on Friday May 30, and was supposed to get discharged on Sunday. However, when a nurse came to his room, she found it locked from the inside. When there was no response even after repeated knocks, the nurse alerted the other staff.
On breaking open the door, the hospital staff found Thamban, Padmini and Karthik hanging. Karthik was found to be gagged and tied from the window grill and it is suspected that the parents killed him before ending their own lives.
Thamban and Padmini had earlier lost two other children to endosulfan, and it is said that they were depressed by the fact that their third child too had become its victim. In 2009, they had attended a camp for endosulfan victims and though they had identity cards, they had not received sufficient compensation or relief package from the government despite being eligible. Moreover, Thamban being a mason at a construction site was not financially sound.
DC Mohammed Sagir has directed Kanhangad DSP to investigate the case. A human rights group has sought a report on the incident from the DC and the police.
Kanhangad police have registered a case.