Superstition causes young engineer to end life in Bangaluru

Bengaluru, July 19: It is common to hear of young men ending their lives over troubled relationships or harassment at colleges or even workplaces. 

Anand V H was all of 23, and an engineering graduate to boot. But he was superstitious too — so superstitious that he ended his life on Thursday, all because a crow perched itself on his head -- twice -- the previous day.

Anand committed suicide allegedly by consuming poison at his rented accommodation in Manjunath Nagar in Rajajinagar locality of Bengaluru.

The incident came to light Thursday morning after his older brother, who was in Gadag (420 km from Bangalore near Dharwad), got worried and came to check on him.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Anand got very upset after a crow sat on his head on Wednesday. He immediately called up his mother and narrated the entire incident to her, expressing fears that it augured ill — a belief among a section of Hindus.

His mother tried to allay his fears and told him to visit the Hanumantharaya Swamy temple and light a lamp. Anand, however, was not convinced and went home and locked himself up before taking the drastic step.

“My brother had called my mother, Parvathi, and told her about the crow. He was very tense when he spoke. My mother rushed to an astrologer and on his advice told Anand to pray at the Hanumantharaya Swamy temple," V H Hampanna, elder brother of the victim, told Bangalore Mirror.

He went on to add that a few minutes later he called up Anand, but didn’t get any response. He presumed his younger sibling was resting as he used to wake up by 5.30 am to go to work and take a nap after returning from work around 4.45 pm.

Hampanna said he came to Bangalore on Thursday morning, and when Anand failed to open the door despite repeated knocking, he let himself in with his spare keys. “Once I opened the door, I found my brother lying on the floor with froth coming out of his mouth. I immediately rushed him to a private hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” he said.

Colleagues told the police a visibly disturbed Anand had narrated the incident to them on reaching office on Wednesday morning. He had told them the first time the crow perched itself on his head, he took to his heels. But he had a second brush with the persistent crow, following which he again fled the spot. Later, he took the office bus.

Hampanna and Anand were living together in the rented house. Hampanna had gone to Gadag when Anand took the extreme step. Anand, who had completed his BE from a college in Gadag, had been a trainee engineer with HAL for the past seven months.

Hampanna, however, said they were awaiting the post-mortem report as no poison bottle was found in the house. “I am waiting for the post-mortem report, but even I think he took the extreme step due to the crow incident.”

Police said it was likely Anand consumed the poison elsewhere, and had then come home and locked himself in. His body was handed over to the family after post-mortem. A case of unnatural death was registered at Basaveshwaranagar police station, and investigation is on.