The budding rowing athlete,who died after consuming a poisonous fruit in an apparent suicide pact with her three colleagues, had apologised to her mother for taking the extreme step following alleged harassment by seniors at Sports Authority of India centre here.
Aparna’s grieving mother Geeta said Aparna had told her about the “mental and physical harassment” meted out to them by seniors at the SAI hostel while fighting for life at the hospital.
“Mother please forgive me. I did this due to harassment of senior ‘chechis’ (elder sisters). Will I not surviveIJ,” Aparna was quoted by her mother hours before she breathed her last.
Geeta also said her daughter had no intention of committing suicide, but took the extreme step as there was no other option following the continuous harassment.
“My daughter had come home for ‘Vishu’ festival on April 15 and had told me it was difficult to share a room with the seniors. When the hostel warden was informed, she had promised to shift her to another room within three months”.
But Geeta said her daughter later gave the impression that all was well at the hostel, probably as she did not want to cause any worry to her parents.
Meanwhile, the condition of the three other athletes at the hospital is said to be stable. Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who visited the girls at the hospital, promised an unbiased probe.