College girl scolded by dad jumps into Cooum river, dies

Chennai: In a tragic incident in the city, a 19-year-old college girl, distressed by a quarrel between her parents, committed suicide by jumping into Cooum river, on Friday night. Her body was found and retrieved on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as A. Ramya, a resident of TNHB apartments in Kotturpuram, and a second year B.Com student of Kumararani Meena Muthiah College of Arts and Science.

According to police, the girl had come to the Kotturpuram bridge near her locality and jumped into the river. Shocked by this, motorists and passersby alerted the police and fire control room. 

Fire and rescue personnel (TNFRS) from Guindy, Raj Bhavan and Teynampet fire stations rushed to the spot and searched for the girl in boats. “As she could not be traced due to low visibility, police and TNFRS suspended the search operation temporarily,” police said.

However, the TNFRS personnel from Saidapet resumed the search on Saturday morning and recovered Ramya’s body. The body was sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for an autopsy.

Meanwhile, Kotturpuram police registered a case and said that the girl was reportedly scolded by her father Annamalai, a plumber, for watching TV on Friday night. 

“Her mother Parameshwari came to her support leading to a quarrel between the couple. Distressed by the incident, Ramya jumped off from Kotturpuram bridge,” police said after a preliminary investigation. Further investigation is on to ascertain the exact reason for the extreme step.