Middle-aged parents in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district allegedly died by suicide after their 24-year-old son told them about his decision to marry his transgender person.
Nandyal sub-divisional officer P Srinivas Reddy said 45-year-old Subba Rayudu and his 38-year-old wife Saraswati took the extreme step after conflicts over their son Sunil Kumar’s three-year-long association with the local transgender community.
Kumar had also been in a relationship with a transgender for the past three years and was stubborn about not marrying a woman, news agency PTI reported.
He even insisted on living with his partner that did not sit well with his parents and resulted in frequent tiffs with them.
Police said, Kumar had also previously attempted suicide over this matter.
Further investigations have also revealed that Kumar spent ₹1.5 lakh money on the transgenders, nudging them to demand the amount back from his parents and causing a nuisance over the same.
The members of the community pounded the parents with public insults, increasing their stress about the matter. And this, officials said, ultimately drove them to take their own lives.
Investigation into the same is underway, officials added.
A similar case had surfaced in Rajasthan last year, where a couple allegedly died by suicide because their daughter married her boyfriend outside their caste.
The elderly couple left behind a suicide note, “Our daughter got into a love marriage. Due to this, we (me and my wife) are upset and committing suicide. Police should not harass our son. My relatives, please take care of our dear son.”
The parents jumped in front of a moving train on the Pali-Jodhpur highway in Pali district.
The couple had reportedly tried to talk their daughter out of the inter-caste marriage a day earlier, but she refused to listen to them.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).