A 23-year-old college student in Kerala died on Tuesday, October 25, due to organ failure after he allegedly consumed some drinks offered by his girlfriend. Sharon Raj, a resident of Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram, visited his girlfriend at her house in Ramavarmanchirai of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, on October 14. According to a friend of the deceased, the woman had given him kashayam (ayurvedic medicine) and a glass of mango juice. Sharon died 11 days later at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.
Rejin, Sharon’s friend who accompanied him to Ramavarmanchirai, told the media, “He asked me to accompany him to her house to get a book. While I was waiting outside her house, he came out vomiting. On our way back, he kept vomiting and it was blue in colour.” Sharon was admitted to Government Hospital, Parassala, on the same day. He was later shifted to the Medical College Hospital. However, he was sent back home as his blood tests were normal.
As his condition worsened in the next few days, he was again admitted to the Medical College on October 17. “A dialysis was performed immediately, followed by three more in the following days. His lungs were severely damaged. After further tests, the doctors told us that some acidic substance had been consumed. It was they who informed the police as it was a medicolegal case,” Sharon’s brother Shimon said. Hospital authorities informed the Medical College police and Sharon’s statement was recorded in the presence of a Magistrate.
The family alleged that the girl’s marriage to another person had been fixed, as her parents did not approve of her relationship with Sharon. His father Jayaraj said that the two had still continued with the relationship. “She contacted him and told him that the marriage was fixed against her wishes,” he said. The relatives also accessed a WhatsApp chat between the two, in which she tells him that the vomiting was probably caused by the kashayam and proceeds to apologise for it. Sharon’s mother Priya alleged that the drink was intentionally given as part of a superstition.
The family also expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation. “There is some foul play in the investigation. They are yet to take statements from any of us. They also said that there is no evidence in the postmortem,” said Jayaraj. However, the police said that they can take further action only after receiving the results of scientific tests. Speaking to TNM, the Parassala police, under whose jurisdiction Sharon lived, claimed that they received a complaint only after his death, and that they have started the investigation. TNM has not disclosed the name of the woman as no case has been filed against her.
Sharon’s family alleged that there are similarities in his death to the death of an 11-year-old boy earlier this month. Both Sharon and the boy had died of organ failure after consuming a drink with acid content. Ashwin, a sixth standard student, had died in the state on October 18, three weeks after consuming a soft drink laced with acid. He was offered the soft drink by another student at his school in Athencode on September 24. Though the case is under investigation by the Suchindram police, they are yet unable to identify the student who gave him the drink. Before he died, Ashwin had told the police that the boy who gave him the drink wore the same uniform as him, but was a senior.