It was tragic drama at Nungambakkam as passersby and motorists were pushed to extreme shock and disbelief this morning after a love-lorn youth tried to immolate himself in full public view over a alleged love failure.

The youth is battling for life at  Kilpauk Medical College hospital.

Police said the victim identified as Suresh Kumar (23) was reportedly jilted by his lover and this forced him to choose the extreme step.

According to reports, Suresh Kumar, a resident of Kodambakkam was an MSc graduate. He is said to have fallen in love with a girl a year ago and they intended to marry. But their proposal apparently met with stiff opposition from the families. The girl, bowing to her family’s wishes, changed her mind and agreed to be engaged  to another man.

The youth went into depression at the turn of events and decided to end his life this morning. He reached Nungambakkam in his two-wheeler this morning and suddenly doused himself with petrol and set himself afire. Seeing this, a few members of the public tried to put out the fire and alerted the ambulance service.

He was immediately rushed to Kilpauk Government Medical College hospital. When police interrogated the victim he refused to divulge the details of the girl whom he was in love with. Further interrogations are on.

A 30-year-old woman was charred to death and nearly 500 vehicles, including two wheelers and bicycles, were gutted in a major fire at the parking lot of Veppampattu Railway station, about 35 km from here, today. Reports received at the police headquarters here said nearly 200 two-wheelers and 300 bicycles parked in the stand were reduced to ashes.

The impact of the fire was such that the thatched parking lot was completely razed to the ground as the parked two-wheelers exploded with defeaning sounds, leading to tension in the area.

At least four houses and a dozen shops situated near the parking lot were damaged under the impact of the explosion.

 

As the fire spread to a grocery shop situated next to the parking lot, a woman, Vidya (30), was charred to death. However, her husband, the owner of the shop, managed to escape.

Many fire fighting units from Tiruvallur and Avadi were battling hard to bring the fire under control. A thick smoke engulfed the entire area, affecting the vicinity.  Reports said a spark from a fast food joint located near the parking lot was said to be the reason for the mishap.

The parking area was run by a private contractor Nandagopal and police were on the look out for him. The parking lot at the Railway station was a sprawling area as tens and hundreds of rail commuters used to park their vehicles in the two-wheeler stand and board the train to go for work in Chennai and other areas en route.

Since several engineering colleges were situated in and around Veppampattu, hundreds of students, commuting by train, used to park their vehicles in the Railway station.

The mangled remains of the two-wheelers presented a gory picture of the parking lot as almost all the vehicles were destroyed in the fire.