An NRI woman from Australia Priyadarshini Lingaraj Patil died by suicide on Sunday in Karnataka’s Belagavi district after allegedly losing her children to the custody of Australian authorities, a suicide note recovered by the police officials read.
(Trigger warning: This article contains sensitive and potentially distressing content related to the topic of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.)
In the note, the deceased 40-year-old mother accused the Australian authorities and some residents of a Sydney locality of harassing her and her family. In distress, she took her own life near Saundatti in Belagavi district, news agency IANS reported.
The woman’s family was engaged in a legal dispute with Australian authorities over the custody of her children. Her son Amartya was facing health problems, the report claimed.
The dispute arose after the Australian hospital authorities accused Patil of negligence towards her children. Subsequently, the government had taken custody of her two children.
Following the events, Patil requested the Australian government to withdraw her citizenship so that she could take her children back to India for treatment. However, her requests were ignored, the report added.
Patil’s family blamed her sufferings on the Australian government and alleged that her deteriorating health issues pushed her to take such an extreme step.
‘Residents have harassed us’
As per the recovered suicide note, she alleged, “Our lives are threatened. I am compelled to end my life for the survival of my children and husband Lingaraj. I am accepting my death for the good of my family. From 2021 to the present day DCJ (Australia’s Department of Communities and Justice) has ruined my family. The residents of Verlie Street in Sydney have harassed us.”
Patil alleged in the note that the family of a police officer had been troubling her and the water supply to her house was poisoned.
Patil had arrived in Bengaluru from Australia and took a bus to Belagavi. The police are investigating the matter.
The copy will be updated if there is a response from the Ministry of External Affairs on the matter.
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secundrabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290)
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