Wife of Udumalpet honour killing victim attempts suicide

Coimbatore: Kowsalya, 19, wife of honour killing victim V Shankar, attempted suicide by consuming cow dung powder at her residence in Kumaralingam village in Tiruppur district on Thursday morning. She has been admitted in the intensive care unit at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), where doctors said that her condition is stable.
Kowsalya has been unable to recover from her husband's death.Recently, she visited Shankar's grave and spent more than an hour their in an emotional state. "She has been depressed since his death," said one of her relatives.
"She told me that she often thought about Shankar. She's unable to move on. Four police personnel are deployed at my house for protection. But she managed to leave the house discreetly and visit Shankar's grave two days ago," said C Velusamy, 47, Kowsalya's father-in-law. Velusamy tried to encourage Kowsalya to complete her engineering degree, but in vain. "Shankar was keen on completing his engineering degree. I told Kowsalya to complete her degree and get a job. But she says she wants to join her husband soon. She has been counselled by various experts but it has not helped much," he said.
Velusamy, a daily wage labourer, had woken up around 5.30am on Thursday and left home to drink tea. When he returned home, he found a group of people in front of his house and soon learned that Kowsalya had consumed cow dung powder. "I don't know where she got the cow dung powder. I want her to focus on her studies and do well," he said.
Kowsalya was taken to Udumalpet government hospital where a judicial magistrate recorded her statement. Later, she was referred to CMCH for advanced treatment.
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan visited her at CMCH. "I told her not to make impulsive decisions. If she gives up on life, the culprits in her husband's murder would gain victory. I urged her to complete her studies," said Ramakrishnan.