A family of four members died after immolation due to the harassment by the money lender.

Harassment Kills A Family

On Monday morning, in Tirunelveli, 600Km from south of Chennai, a four-member family, including two children, set themselves ablaze in front of a collector’s office. A resident of Kasidharmam under Achchanpudhur police station, Esakkimuthu had borrowed Rs.1.45 lakh from a moneylender Muthulakshmi a few months ago to help his relatives. The man reportedly repaid Rs.2.34 lakhs including interest but Muthulakshmi harassed him for further Rs.2 Lakhs. Esakkimuthu has submitted a petition to the collector at six weekly grievance meetings. Unable to bear the harassment, the family attempted self-immolation and the four were rushed to a government hospital, where the two children and wife died. The husband, Esakkimuthu is still battling for life in the hospital.

Aftermath Of The Incident

Gopi, brother of Esakkimuthu had accompanied his brother to the collector office. He saw him carrying 5 litres of kerosene. He said that he never expected his brother would take such a drastic step. He also complained that instead of rendering justice, the custodians of law were supporting the money lender. The police registered a case against moneylender Muthulakshmi, and her husband under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment of life or other imprisonments) of IPC and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act. Collector Nanduri said that the problem of money lenders is prevalent in the district, and it will be thoroughly investigated.

Conclusion

A lot of suicides happen due to money lending issues. People should be very careful while dealing with money lending and make sure proper agreements are signed before taking further steps. It is advised that loans be taken from banks rather than private money lenders who do not provide any legal documentation. Proper calculations have to be done regarding the principal and interest and have to be agreed on one sum by both the parties before lending the money. A lot of deaths can be prevented by psychological treatment.