Chennai: In less than 48 hours, three spine-chilling incidents hogged headlines. Believe it or not, in all the three cases, mothers killed their children, sending shockwaves among all.
In a horrific incident, a woman killed her new born baby by slitting throat at Balussery in Kerala.
The woman gave birth on Sunday morning in Paramukku near Nirirmaloor and killed the baby soon after. She killed the new-born using a blade. She had been living alone after separating from husband.
In Delhi, a mother killed her seven-month-old daughter for ‘bringing bad luck to the family’, blaming her birth for the family’s medical and financial problems.
And to top it all, at Kundrathur near Chennai, a 25-year-old woman who murdered her two children to elope with her lover, was arrested by police Sunday.
Speaking to ‘News Today’, Dr Sumathy, a psychologist, says,”Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. A recent survey says that on an average 500 children are killed by their parent across the globe every year.”
“Generally a parent kills the child because he or she may perceive it to be in the child’s best interest. If the child suffers from a terminal illness or precede the suicide of the parent, s/he feels it would be unfair to leave the child behind to face the cruel world. In other cases, the child’s death is an unintentional outcome of parental physical abuse. S/he may kill the child in an effort to exact revenge on the other parent.”
But these recent happenings in India are alarming. Maternal love is considered unadulterated and pure in this part of the globe, she adds.
Speaking about the recent killings, Krishnamurthy, a spocial activist, who runs an orphanage, says, “Mom killing her baby in Delhi blaming her for increasing debts in family is an act of acute psychosis. The motive was inconsistent with reality. Whereas the cruel act by a mother in Kerala may be due to desperation. She was separated from her husband. Failed relationships may cause mental breakdown, which can lead to violence towards their children. It may be an act to take revenge on her estranged partner.”
What is all the more worrying is to read a young mother in suburban Chennai murdering her kids to elope with her lover.
Overcome by lust, she would have indulged in the gruesome act since she regarded her children as a hindrance to her desire, he says and adds,”The society lacks a sense of discipline. Family values are lost. Gone are those days when there used to be joint families and elders taking care of the children. In today nucleus family system, everyone is under tremendous stress and tension. Domestic violence is on the rise.”
“For no fault of their, the children lost their lives. Such people needs counselling. Any person who stays aloof from family and prefers to spend his/her time alone, should be made to converse with all. They must be put to counselling.”
Remember India is the land where we are taught Mathru Devo Bhava.