The temple purohit and a few devotees at the temple did see the flames but initially thought the girl with the kerosene in a kalasa (pot) was offering some unique prayers. Her screams shook them. Realising the girl’s intentions, they rushed to her, poured water over her burning body and shifted her to a nearby hospital. After battling for a few hours, she died in the wee hours of Thursday.
The incident took place at Yellamma temple on Lalbagh Road at around 8.40 pm.
Deepa, a resident of JC Colony, was in love with a boy from the same area. Her father had died long back and her mother, who was working for KSRTC, had passed away recently. She was staying with her brother, Raghavendra who is currently working as a casual worker in KSRTC and trying to get absorbed on compassionate grounds.
Dinesh, who lives next to the temple narrated the incident to Deccan Herald: “I saw Deepa walking towards the temple, carrying a steel pot. Since she was wearing a garland, I thought she might have taken some vow and was going to the temple to perform rituals. Within minutes, I saw purohit Surya Narayana Rao and few others rushing towards the flames. I too rushed and we took her to the nearby Mallige hospital.
Doctors told us that since she had suffered more than 85 per cent burns, she should be shifted to Victoria hospital.” He had seen her holding a camphor and lighting it and performing the arthi. “But we never ever thought that she will be using the same arthi to commit suicide,” said Rao, another devotee.
Minutes before she breathed her last, she reportedly told the police: “For the last four years, I was in love with Nagaraj from the same area. A portion of the money that we got after the death of my mother was given to Nagaraj.
“With that loan amount, Nagaraj opened a shop in Jayanagar and is having a flourishing business. Of late, whenever I discussed marriage he was avoiding me. On Wednesday it became unbearable as he insulted me and asked me to forget him, Deepa said.”
A manhunt is reportedly on to trace Nagaraj.
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