A 14-year-old girl allegedly died by suicide in Mumbai’s Malwani area on Tuesday night after having a painful experience during her first menstrual period. According to the police, the teenager was under stress due to her unawareness and misinformation regarding the menstrual cycle, leading her to take the drastic step. The girl lived in Lakshmi Chawls, Malwani, along with her family.
The police said the girl allegedly killed herself on Tuesday evening when there was no one in the house. After her relatives and neighbours learned about the incident, they rushed her to the general public hospital in Kandivali. She was declared dead by the doctors at the hospital.“During the preliminary inquiry, her relatives said the girl had a painful experience recently after having her first menstrual period. She was disturbed and was under mental stress over it. Hence, she may have ended her life over it,” said a police officer.The police said there was no foul play but are probing the matter from all angles.
“We will be speaking to the teenager’s friends to know more about her depression and also scan through her recent online activities to get an idea about all the things she was curious about,” said another police officer. The police conducted the panchnama and sent her body for postmortem. After completing the formalities, the body would be handed over to the family on Wednesday. They have registered an accidental death report and are further probing the matter.A social activist said the experience of menstruation for young girls is sometimes harder due to inconsistent access to education on menstrual health and puberty.