Copyright thehindu
A 22-year-old woman was found dead with burns in the Sanamangalam Reserve Forest near Tiruchi on Friday, a day after she was reported missing. The deceased, Meera Jasmine of Srinivasa Nagar on Vayalur Road, left home on Thursday morning to buy vegetables and did not return. When attempts to reach her on phone failed, her mother A. Kalavathi lodged a complaint at the Government Hospital Police Station where a mission person case was registered. Next morning, the police found the half-burnt body in the forest. The body was identified as that of Meera as her handbag, mobile phone, and footwear were found intact at the spot. The remains were sent to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital for autopsy. As the body was recovered from a forest, the Siruganur police took over the investigation and registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which pertains to suspicious deaths. Police sources said Meera suffered from depression after a man with whom she was in a relationship ended his life two years ago. At the spot where her body was found, incense sticks and candles were found making the police suspect that the woman might have ended her life in memory of her late partner after performing a ritual. The cause of death is yet to be confirmed as the autopsy and forensic reports were awaited. The incident triggered protests at the hospital where the body was kept. Members of the CPI(M) and Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, along with family members, demanded transparency in the investigation and called for compensation to the bereaved family. The protesters dispersed after holding talks with the police. (Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
