Hema Malini, Tamil Nadu Girl Dies After Consuming Pesticide At Ashram

Twitter hashtag Justice For Hema Malini started to trend on February 17. It was a reaction to the death of a 20-year-old college student in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district. As per the police, the girl allegedly died by suicide after drinking pesticides.

According to reports, police are interrogating a self-proclaimed godman of a ashram where the deceased student was staying. The girl's family have raised allegations of a conspiracy behind the incident.As soon as the news broke out, many social media users started tweeting on the subject demanding justice for the girl.

Who Is Hema Malini?

The 20-year-old girl, Hema Malini was a B.Sc computer science student at a private engineering college. She was staying at the ashram and was undergoing treament for many diseases for over a year. Reportedly, the girl started vomitting on February 15 at the ashram. Her aunt then informed the godman of the ashram, Munasamy and asked the girl to be admitted to a hospital. As per reports, Munasamy then arranged a autorickshaw after a couple of hours. When the girl finally reached the hospital, the doctors informed that the girl had drank pesticides. The girl reportedly died during the treatment. Her body has been sent for postmortem.

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The said ashram is located near Poodi at Vellathukottai where individuals come to get "herbal treatment" for ailments and worship. The girl Hema Malini was brought to the ashram by her parents in 2020 as she was suffering from severe stomach and neck pain. Malini lived in the ashram for two years. After Malini's death, her parents alleged that Munasamy was involved in inappropriate practices, they said that he is worshipped by his disciples only on Amavasya and Poornima. The parents also alleged that their daughter Hema Malini was made to worship Munasamy late at night. Many women reportedly come to the ashram to seek blessings for marriage.

The social media campaign started after Malini's death and many people also asked for a CBI inquiry. Social media users asked for a ban on such ashrams. The BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai has also been asked to raise his voice about the issue.