Jalpaiguri, (North Bengal): It’s a Facebook  associated romance tragedy, between a 20 year old carpenter and a farmer’s daughter.

A schoolgirl in Mainaguri drank poison and died last night after her former boyfriend posted a picture of them on Facebook at a time the girl’s family was arranging her marriage with another fellow (Jan 31).

The boyfriend, who is from the same locality, has fled the village. He posted the photo after the girl’s family, which disapproved  of their relationship, started looking for a match for the girl, a relative said.

Sources in the family said the girl, who studies in Class XI, was in a relationship with the youth for the past few months. The 20-year-old youth is a carpenter. The girl was from a farmer’s family.

“Her family did not endorse their relationship. They started searching for a groom and wanted to get her married. As the youth learnt about it, he posted a photo on Facebook last Sunday in which he and the girl were embracing each other,” a police officer said.

The girl, after learning about the Facebook post, got hold of some pesticide, walked out of her home and consumed it. This morning her body was found under a culvert close to her house.

“It is because of the youth’s post on Facebook that my niece committed suicide. We have filed a complaint with the police and want the accused to be arrested,” the girl’s uncle said.

A psychologist in Siliguri, when told about the case, said this has become a common trend among youngsters to use social media to intimidate or blackmail people.

“In recent years, we have come across a number of cases when youths post photos and videos of people with whom they had relations, particularly after break-ups. They grow restless at such circumstances and never think of the probable consequences of such posts and how these can mentally affect the other side,” he said.

“Such tendencies can be prevented by parents, close relatives and friends through counselling. They need to speak to the depressed person to help him/her get out of the phase and refrain from any act that could affect the life of the other person,” he added.

Newsnet  Intern view:

What he left out is basically this: Our outlook and social patterns need to change, and deal with the fact that  cellphone selfies and Facebook, are here to stay and that secrets romantic or otherwise are far more difficult to keep.

The real culprit is the family’s stigmatisation of their daughter, not a boy’s post on facebook. If the family didn’t make a big deal of the affair, the suicide wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

So if local girls fall for the local hunks and have a bit of a fling, it is high time for society to take a chill pill. Don’t cinnect girls to the family honour thing. [Deb Boruah]

  crime, facebook