Woman assaults daughter with machete, tries to end life in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A 55-year-old woman allegedly attacked her daughter with a machete and later tried to die by suicide inside a temple premises in Sampigehalli police limits on Wednesday. The accused Sujatha (55) and her daughter Ramya (26), a resident of Agrahara Layout, sustained serious injuries but survived. They are undergoing treatment in hospital. According to police, Sujatha had taken her daughter to Harihareshwara Temple around 3.45am, on the pretext of a special puja. She allegedly assaulted Ramya with a machete when the latter bowed before the deity, and then slit her own throat in an attempt to end her life inside the temple premises. Hearing screams, locals rushed to the spot and found mother and daughter lying in a pool of blood. They immediately shifted them to hospital and alerted the police. A senior police officer said there is a suspicion that Sujatha may have tried to perform human sacrifice due to depression and repeated deaths in the family, but nothing is confirmed yet. A clear picture will emerge only after the victims are discharged from hospital, and we can record detailed statements, a senior police officer said. According to a preliminary probe, there have been a series of deaths in the family over the past five to six years, which had pushed Sujatha into depression. Her husband, mother and three sisters had died. Two years ago, Ramyas son passed away, and just days ago, another of Ramyas children also died. These tragedies allegedly drove Sujatha to attempt to kill her daughter and herself. (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)