Mother suicide after son stays off schoo

Mili Paswan

TT, Bolpur, Aug. 23: A 36-year-old fruit-processing factory worker hanged herself in Birbhum as her younger son had stopped going to school after leaving her to stay with her estranged husband and school-dropout elder son.

Bahiri village resident Mili Paswan's relatives said she had been depressed since her younger son Abhay, 12, went to live with her husband in Bolpur following an argument two weeks ago. Mili had called up Abhay, a Class VII student of Bahiri Braja Sundari High School, several times and requested him to return home and resume studies.

Mili's elder son Aman, a Class X dropout, lives with her husband Dharmendra Paswan, a construction labourer who does not get work on a regular basis. Aman has to drive a toto to sustain himself and his father.

Abhay said his father had not allowed him to resume classes. Dharmendra could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Two weeks ago, Mili had asked Abhay to bring her home from her workplace on his cycle.

"She said she had pain in her legs. But I could not go because the cycle had a punctured tyre. She scolded me after returning home. We had an argument and I left for my father's home (4.5km away) in a bus. He asked me to stay with him," Abhay said.

"My mother had called me up several times and requested me to go to school. But my father didn't allow me to go. My mother always asked me to study and used to say I must complete my education," he said.

Mili, her family said, had to discontinue studies when she was in Class IX because she had been married off.

Her younger brother Ujjwal Singh said she was distressed when she found out that Abhay, like her elder son, had stopped going to school.

"She wanted to educate her sons. She used to lament that her elder son had given up studies. She was a brave woman, but on the day of Raksha Bandhan I saw she was depressed. She told me she feared her dream of seeing Abhay complete his education might not be fulfilled," said Ujjwal, a manager at a factory in Bolpur.

Police have started a case of unnatural death and sent the body to Bolpur sub-divisional hospital for a post-mortem.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. The preliminary investigation has revealed that she was depressed. However, we will look into other angles if a complaint is lodged," an officer of Bolpur police station said.