A 30-year-old woman who arrived at the collectorate along with her three children attempted suicide by pouring kerosene on her body here on Monday.
T.Priya of K.K. Nagar in Somarasampettai came to the collectorate to present a petition to the Collector during the weekly grievances meeting.
Soon after gaining entry into the collectorate, she took out a can of kerosene and poured it on herself and her three children: Mahalakshmi (9), Gayathri (7), and Palaniyandi (4).
The children, who were shocked by their mother’s action, screamed for help. The onlookers, most of them petitioners, prevented the woman from setting herself and the three children on fire. Soon, the police and revenue authorities took them under custody.
Priya said that she attempted suicide as her husband’s family disowned her after his death in 2013.
She was denied space in the house and moral and financial support. Though she had lodged a complaint with the Somarasampettai police, no action was taken, she also said.
Ms.Priya later met the Collector, K.S.Palanisamy, and narrated her plight. The woman was then taken to the Somarasampettai police station.
