Vijayakumar is an agricultural worker from Siruthondamadevi near Panruti in Cuddalore district. His son Vignesh, 15, a 10th class student studying in a private school, was reportedly unable to attend classes due to the lockdown as the classes were being conducted online. Vignesh had been asking his father to buy him a smartphone.
Since Vijayakumar earns a living by collecting cashew nuts, was unable to afford to buy his son a smartphone. Frustrated, Vignesh had committed suicide by hanging himself at his home. His parents and relatives were moved to tears when they had seen the body of the Vignesh. The local police are conducting investigations over his death.
A similar incident happened in June in Kerala, where a 15-year-old girl had committed suicide by setting herself ablaze. She hailed from Malappuram district in Kerala and had been studying class 10. She had killed herself due to difficulties in coping with online classes. Her father had also been a daily wage labourer and had had no job for over two months during the lockdown, and the family was in penury.