Daijiworld News Network - Karkala (GA)

Karkala, Oct 25: In a bizarre incident, lovers from Beltangady who had booked a room in a lodge near bus stand here attempted suicide by consuming poison in which the girl died on Tuesday October 24.

The deceased has been identified as Harshita (17), daughter of Sridhar of Mittabagilu near Didupe in Beltangady, while her lover Jayaraj Naik (28), a resident of Kadirudyavarade in Beltangady.  Jayaraj was the son of Shivayya Naik and was a jeep driver by profession.  Harshita was a PUC student in one of the colleges at Ujire.

The sources said that both of them were in love with each other for sometime.  Since they belonged to two different castes, there was opposing for their marriage from both families.  So, they had eloped from their house on June 26.  A complaint in this regard was filed in the Beltangady police station in the later days.

However, on Monday October 23, both of them had come here and stayed overnight in a lodge.  On Tuesday morning, one of the room boys forcibly opened the door of their room after they had not come out from the room for long.  It was then, he saw that Harshita had already died after consuming poison while Jayaraj was fighting for life.  He was immediately shifted to a private hospital here.  But there was no improvement in his health till evening.  So he was later admitted to a private hospital in Mangalore.  His condition still remains critical, said sources.

In a suicide note, the couple has written that eversince they eloped, they had tried to convince their parents and get back to their families.  But the families had not cooperated with them.  Initially they had stayed in Hassan from where Harshita said to have called home several times asking her parents to withdraw the complaint filed against Jayaraj and allow them to come back home.  But her parents had turned a deaf ear to her request.  Ultimately left with no option, they tried to end their life by consuming poison.

Since complaint has already been filed in Beltangady police station against Jayaraj and that both of them are from Beltangady taluk, the case has now been handed over to Beltangady police for further enquiry.