T’puram:A 67-year-old woman from Neyyattinkara allegedly attempted suicide after preparing her own funeral pyre behind her house, shortly after returning from the hospital where her critically ill husband has been undergoing treatment for nearly a year.Nalinakumari of Vlangamuri is now battling for life with severe burns after being admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Neyyattinkara. Her condition remains critical.According to police, she had travelled back home alone by bus after leaving her children and relatives at the hospital where her husband, Kritadas, continues to be under treatment in the ICU. Bus drivers who saw her during the journey later informed police that she appeared withdrawn.After reaching home, she reportedly piled up firewood behind the house and lay down on the pyre before setting it ablaze. Neighbours noticed smoke rising from the premises and rushed to the spot. Locals immediately alerted police and fire force, who extinguished the flames and soon took her to the hospital.Police said Nalinakumari had been living in isolation as her children are settled abroad, while her husband has remained seriously ill for the past year. Preliminary assessment suggests that prolonged mental distress arising from her husband’s condition and loneliness may have pushed her towards the extreme act.Neyyattinkara police registered a case and said the exact reason behind the act is yet to be determined and further probe is under way.Suicides are preventable and help is just a phone call away. Those in distress can call Maitri at 0484-2540530, Disha at 1056 or Emergency Medical Services at 0471- 2552056.
