Two teen-aged Nari Niketan girls attempt suicide

CHANDIGARH - Two teen-aged girls, who were residing at the government-run Nari Niketan (women’s house) here, Tuesday tried to commit suicide by consuming poison, police said.

According to police, the two girls were shifted to a government hospital here after they consumed poison and started vomiting. They are residents of Sector 45 and 26 respectively.

Both girls are married and they were kept at Nari Niketan in sector 26 on court orders. Their families had filed cases in the court, saying that their marriages were illegal, as both of them were minors at the time of marriage, Sheesh Pal, investigating officer of the case, told IANS here Tuesday.

He added: Their condition is stable but doctors have kept them under observation for the next 24 hours.

In the meantime, police have registered a case and started their investigation.

After this incident, senior officials of the Chandigarh administration also reached the spot.

We have directed the investigating officials to ascertain the reason behind this extreme step. Such incidents are totally intolerable at places like Nari Niketan, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate (south) Prerna Puri, who visited the spot.

Earlier also Nari Niketan was in news, as a 19-year-old mentally-challenged inmate was raped by a male attendant last year. Police had arrested four persons in this case.