Woman attempts immolation, rescued

CHENNAI: A 45-year-old woman who attempted self-immolation near the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner’s office in Egmore on Monday afternoon was rescued by some passersby.
The woman claimed that her live-in partner, a Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) conductor, was neglecting her. Police said T Meenakshi of Mahakavi Bharathi Nagar came to the commissioner’s office in the morning and submitted a complaint saying she was not getting enough to run the family from her partner Thanikachalam.Later, she walked till the Albert theatre, a few metres from the commissioner’s office, and doused her body with kerosene. However, some alert passersby rescued her and informed the police.
Officials from the Egmore police station rushed there and took her to the station. During questioning, she told police about her plight. She was then produced before north Chennai joint commissioner of police N K Senthamaraikannan who promised to take action to resolve her problem. Meenakshi told the police she had a relationship with Thanikachalam since a long time and that of late he was not showing her enough care.
She said she had tried to contact Thanikachalam’s family members to sort out the issue but claimed they had refused to come forward. Thanikachalam now lives with his wife Lalitha in Tiruvallur, police said.