For love’s sake, three end life on V-Day in Karnataka

Valentine’s Day turned tragic for three lovers, including a woman, in Karnataka Tuesday as they opted to commit suicide at the altar of cupid.

College student Yallappa, 25, and his beloved Bharti, 22, opted to die by jumping in front of a moving train near Gulbarga, about 650 km from Bangalore. Their parents were opposed to their marriage on caste considerations.

“As the two lovers belonged to different castes, opposition from their parents forced them to take such an extreme step on a day like this,” Gulbarga Deputy Superintendent of Police Shivannagouda Patil told IANS by phone.

Their mutilated bodies were found on the rail tracks between Gulbarga and Babla local stations, with a suicide note in local language (Kannada) that they were ending their lives as their parents were opposed to their alliance.

“They were studying in a Gulbarga college while their parents lived in a nearby village,” Patil said.

Subenshu Laskar, 19, jumped to death from the top of a five-storey hostel building in south Bangalore early Tuesday after his girl friend declined to give consent to marry him on Valentine’s Day.

“Laskar, hailing from Kolkata, was a student of Oxford College studying in first year degree course. According to his friends in the hostel, Laskar appeared dejected after a long conversation with his girl friend (name withheld) late Monday,” said J.P. Nagar police station inspector V.S. Agadi.

Valentine’s Day passed off peacefully in major towns and cities across the state barring a clash between groups favouring and opposing the celebrations on the lovers’ day at Mysore, about 150 km from here.

“Activists of Jai Karnataka clashed with the pro-Hindu group Sri Ram Sene members opposing youngsters celebrating the event in public places and college campuses. We separated the pro-and-anti groups and dispersed them to prevent any law and order problem in the city,” a police official told reporters at Mysore.