The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Woman kills children, attempts suicide

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 18, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Woman kills children, attempts suicide

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, FEB. 17. Poverty due to successive crop failure for the last few years, resultant conflict between a couple and their inability to feed their children led to the death of two children at Gollapalli village in Gummaghatta mandal on Wednesday night.

Their mother is battling for life in the Government Hospital at Rayadurg. She was unconscious when reports last came in.

The woman, Padmavathi (35), mother of seven children, made her two daughters -- Naveenamma (8 years) and Mahalaxmi (6 months) -- consume pesticide available in the house.

Later, she also consumed it. While the girls succumbed to the poison the woman is fighting death.

According to the Gummaghatta SI, Ramanjaneyulu, and the Rayadurg CI, Malla Reddy, Boya Srinivasulu, Padmavathi's husband, has six acres of land but debts had piled up due to crop failure.

Pressure from lenders

Unable to withstand pressure from lenders to repay the debts, the farmer got addicted to liquor during the last few months, further worsening his family's position.

This resulted in a tussle between the husband and wife. They were learnt to have unable to feed the children properly for the last three days. This is learnt to have forced the woman to kill her two children and attempt suicide.

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Andhra Pradesh