7-year-old boy tries to imitate suicide, dies

The victim is seven-year-old Karthik, the only son of Parimala, and Subramanya, a lorry driver.

Background

Usha (35), employed at the school as a mid-day meal cook, had committed suicide by hanging herself at her house allegedly due to domestic problems on Saturday.

The school authorities visited her house along with a few staffers and students, including Karthik, who saw Usha’s body hanging from a ceiling fan.

On Monday, Karthik was alone in the classroom when the mass prayer began around 9.30. According to police, he placed a stool near the window and stood on it.

He then took out his belt, tightened it around his neck and tied its other end to a window grill. He is said to have lost his balance while tying the belt to the window grill, and the stool turned upside down, tightening the belt grip around his neck.

When the students entered the classroom after prayer, they found Karthik hanging from the window grill and struggling to breathe.

Witnessing the incident, a senior teacher, Lakshmidevamma (48), suffered a heart attack, police said.

Both were rushed to a hospital where Karthik failed to respond to treatment. He died on Tuesday morning. Lakshmidevamma is recovering.