In a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s love tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’, a tragic case of forbidden love has unfolded in the city, proving that love can be destructive sometimes. A 24-year-old man killed himself hours after his lover set herself afire when she got to know that his parents objected to their union in marriage.
Police said that the boy took the extreme step after he believed that his lover wouldn’t survive. The boy was found hanging at a construction site yesterday, while the girl, who set herself ablaze on Wednesday night, sustained 90 per cent burns and is in a critical condition undergoing treatment at a hospital.
According to the police, the deceased Ravindra Ramesh Patel, a resident of Nirmal Nagar in Mulund (W) worked as a driver at a private firm and the girl Suvarna Jagan Khapare (22) worked as beautician at a beauty parlour. The two were neighbours. “Both were in a relationship and wanted to marry, but the boy’s family, especially his mother, opposed the marriage,” said Santosh Dhanwade, Ravindra’s neighbour.
The incident
On Tuesday, after getting to know of the resistance to their marriage, the girl set herself on fire when she was alone at home. When Ravindra came to know of the incident, he and the girl’s family members rushed her to M T Agarwal hospital, after which she was transferred to the National Burns centre in Airoli, where she was put on the ventilator.
“Ravindra took her to the hospital and realised that she was struggling for her life. Distraught with the turn of events, he began to think what would he do without her. So he hanged himself at a construction site near his house on Wednesday morning. He was pronounced dead by doctors at Agarwal Hospital,” said Ramesh Mane, sub-inspector at Mulund policestation.
“We started consoling Ravindra as soon as we heard the tragic news of Suvarna burning herself. But, after some time he disappeared and stopped answering our calls. We tried tracing him but to no avail,” said Satish, brother of Ravindra
