Mumbai: Torn apart by parents, lesbian couple attempts suicide, 1 dies
Mumbai: Two women attempted suicide in their homes in Mumbai after their parents refused to acknowledge their lesbian relationship, instead forbidding them from ever meeting again.
Only one of the two women survived the suicide attempt, said reports.
Pooja and Aarti (names changed), both 21 years old, lived in the same neighbourhood in Suman Nagar, Chunabhatti. A close friendship began between the two which soon developed into a love affair. They began to hang out every day from morning to evening, doing so for a year.
However, their families suspected a lesbian relationship when Pooja’s relative saw her cuddling Aarti at Marine Drive one day.
The relative informed Pooja’s father Kishore, and she confessed to being in a relationship with Aarti when confronted. Subsequently, she was forbidden from meeting her girlfriend ever again.
Pooja’s father then contacted her girlfriend’s elder sister, Amruta, to spill the beans. They met at the office of a local politician, Mahendra Nagte. But while they were arguing, news reached them that Pooja had drunk phenyl. She was rushed to the hospital, but was fortunately alive and is now recovering.
Meanwhile, Aarti went home with her sister and locked herself in a room. She did not open the door until morning. When her family looked through the window in the morning, she was found hanging from the ceiling, dead.
Police arrested Pooja’s father Kishore in connection with Aarti’s death. Amruta told the police that Kishore had hurled profanities at her and her sister during their meeting at Nagte’s office. Police also booked the politician.
Senior Police Inspector Sunil Bhosle was quoted as saying, “We have booked two people under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 507 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and have arrested one in the matter. The statement of the woman’s girlfriend is yet to be recorded as she is recovering from her suicide attempt. Future action will be taken once her statement is taken.”
