AIR radio jockey commits suicide

CHENNAI: A 30-year-old radio jockey, who was working in All India Radio's Rainbow FM, committed suicide by hanging at her parents' house in Thiruvotriyur on Thursday.
Police said Arul Selvi, who got married just two months ago, was pregnant. Selvi's mother Krishnaveni later lodged a complaint stating that her daughter could have decided to end her life unable to bear the harassment for dowry by her in-laws.Selvi, who lived with her husband and his family in Wimco Nagar, Thiruvotriyur, had come to her parents' house on Somasundaram Street for Pongal.
On Thursday afternoon, Selvi's mother Krishnaveni and aunt went out to buy fish for lunch, leaving Selvi alone. They returned and found her hanging from the ceiling.
Police sources said that Selvi allegedly spoke to her husband some time before deciding to end her life.
Lyricist Chezhian, Selvi's brother, said: "We gave 16 sovereigns of gold jewellery for my sister's marriage, apart from the other provisions that the groom's family asked. They began to ill-treat my sister immediately after the marriage. She was harassed for trivial issues. They asked us to provide Pongal gifts and we did as we could afford to. However, some problem seem to have cropped up over this issue and my sister returned home."
According to the police, Selvi was a radio jockey with AIR's Rainbow FM channel and also worked as a stenographer in a chartered accountant's firm in Parrys.
"Selvi was a confident and courageous girl. She used to encourage others, even her brother, who is still struggling in the film industry to make it big. She often gave advice to several people who were frustrated in life. Now, we have lost her. Whoever is responsible for her death should be punished," Gopinath, Chezhian'a friend, said.
"We have been waiting for the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) to begin the inquiry proceedings since Friday morning. The official, however, came only in the evening as it is an official holiday," said another relative.
Based on Krishnaveni's complaint, Thiruvotriyur police registered a case under Section 174 (3) (death due to dowry harassment) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
"The case has been entrusted to the revenue divisional magistrate (RDO) for inquiry as the woman died within seven years of married life. We will proceed with the case after getting the RDO's report," inspector (Thiruvotriyur) Senthil Murugan told The Times Of India.
selvaraj.a@timesgroup.com