15-year-old ingests poison to stop father from drinking liquor, dies

A 15-year-old girl, who consumed rodenticide (rat poison) on Wednesday night to force her father to stop consuming liquor, died at Tirupati town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

According to police, Bhargavi, a Class 10 student and resident of Rajaka Colony of Tirupati rural block, had an argument with her father Srinivas, who came home in an inebriated condition on the night of January 31 and quarrelled with his wife Saraswati. The girl told the father that if he did not stop consuming liquor, she would commit suicide.

In a bid to threaten the father, Bhargavi opened a packet of rodenticide cake and put a small piece of it in her mouth before her mother snatched the packet from her hand. Later, she washed her mouth and became normal.

“Next morning, she went to school at Cherlopalli as usual, but in the afternoon, she complained of stomach pain and giddiness. School authorities called an ambulance and rushed her to Ruia Hospital in Tirupati,” subinspector of police K Eshwaraiah of Tirupati rural police station said.

With her condition turning critical, Bhargavi was later shifted to Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS). “She became normal by Thursday night, but succumbed on Friday afternoon,” the SI said.

Srinivas is a freelance photographer while Saraswati works as a sweeper in SVIMS.

Police said Srinivas was a habitual drinker and used to quarrel with his wife every day. “This has created an aversion in Bhargavti towards liquor,” he said. The mother told the police that Bhargavi participated in anti-liquor movements in the district.

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