Facing arranged marriage, engineering student ends life

A 23-year-old engineering student, who was engaged to her own maternal uncle much against her wishes, died after allegedly consuming poison at her house in Canara Bank Colony, Chandra Layout here on Wednesday night.

Bharathi, a final-semester BE student at the Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Mysore Road, was found lying unconscious on her bed on Thursday morning. There was frothing at her mouth. The bottle of a chemical pesticide was found beside the bed. She was rushed to a private hospital where she was declared dead, her brother Manjunath said.

Her family had planned her marriage with Hari — the youngest brother of her mother Parimala — in three months. Her death was discovered on Thursday morning by her father, Gopal Reddy.

In a suicide letter addressed to her father, Bharathi said she was sorry for taking the extreme step. She informed him about the last message she had recorded for him in her mobile phone.

According to police, the message seems to have been recorded minutes before the reported suicide. Reddy, a civil contractor, settled in the City two decades ago. He is a native of Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

“Bharathi had no courage to refuse the alliance fixed by her family,” police said. “She wanted to study further and did not want to get married so soon. She ended her life because she was unable to face the family,” police quoted her as saying in the letter.

Srinivas, a close associate of the family, said the deceased was a serious student and very attached to her father. She was not willing to marry Hari. “He was not well educated while Bharathi was studying engineering and determined to study further,” Srinivas explained. “She expected her future husband to be similarly qualified. She subtly attempted to refuse the proposal but was overruled by her family.”

According to Srinivas, Bharathi was a very emotional girl and got depressed soon after the engagement. He, however, denied that she had amorous affection for anyone else.