Father sets himself ablaze upset over son's failure at exam

Unable to bear his son's failure in the plus-two exams, a man has committed suicide by setting himself on fire at his house near Gudalur, about 80 km from here, police said today.

Rajamanikam, a daily wager, was seen depressed for the last one month, after learning that his son had failed in the examinations and turned alcoholic, police said.

He reportedly told his close friends that he did not want to live after his son failed at the exams, they said.

As his wife left for work, Rajamanikam reportedly doused himself with kerosene yesterday and set himself on fire. Neighbours admitted him to a Gudalur Hospital, from where he was shifted to the government hospital here and later to the Coimbatore Government Hospital last evening.

Rajamanikam, however, succumbed to burns this afternoon, they said.