Source: gulfnews.com
Father consumes poison in bank over refusal of loan for daughter.
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: A middle-age man in Agali in Palakkad district attempted suicide by consuming poison in front of a public sector bank today, apparently to protest the denial of an education loan to his daughter. The man was identified as Rajan and his condition was reported to be critical.
Initial reports said the man had approached several banks over the past few months to arrange an education loan for his daughter to pursue graduation but had been denied the loan by all of them.
The education loan issue has been a sore point for banks and students in Kerala, with students and parents arguing that banks frequently turn a blind eye to education loan applications and banks taking the stance that repayment of education loans can often be problematic.
The issue had caught state-wide attention in 2005 when a girl student, Rajani S. Anand jumped off a multi-storey building in the state capital, stating that she was taking the extreme step because no bank was willing to offer her an education loan. The uproar over the incident prompted the state government to exercise pressure on banks to be more lenient towards advancing student loans.