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The three girls had thought that their father had died in an accident.
Last week, they found out that Alagu Periyakaruppan, 46, had committed suicide, a traumatic discovery that could haunt them for years.
Last Friday, the state coroner Kamala Ponnampalam ruled that the death of the Indian citizen was a suicide. He had been a construction worker here since 2009.
On April 19, he was admitted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) for fever and headache, and later tested positive for Covid-19.
Five days later, in the early morning of April 23, he recorded two videos on his mobile phone, one of which explained what he was going to do. He then removed a pane of glass from a window, climbed through it and fell and died.
A volunteer from the migrant workers social enterprise ItsRainingRaincoats informed the family of the findings of the coroner’s investigation last Friday.
Speaking to The New Paper in Tamil through the volunteer, Alagu’s wife, Madame A. Panjali, 40, said the family, who lives in a village in the Andaman Islands, India, is struggling with the news.
“We don’t understand why he would do this. He was a very loving husband and father,” she said.
He added that his two oldest daughters, 16 and 11, were inconsolable, while the youngest, six, is too young to understand what happened.
Clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet told TNP that while adults will struggle with the loss of a loved one to suicide, children will often blame themselves.
She said: “Young children whose parents commit suicide will wonder intensely if they were the cause, with thoughts like ‘we were too much trouble’ or ‘he didn’t love us.”
“They assume the burden of responsibility and guilt, internalizing the impotence of not being able to stop or remedy suicide.”
He added that Alagu’s daughters may never come to terms with the tragedy.
“Poor children will have nightmares and will struggle to rationalize what their father has done. They will continue to question why he left them, even as they grow older.”
State Coroner Kamala described Mr. Alagu’s suicide as one that was neither predictable nor preventable.
He did not show any suicidal tendencies, and the hospital had hired him to explain his Covid-19 condition.
He was described by the staff as calm, personable and helpful, and he often helped distribute meals to others.
He had no complications from the disease and was on his way to be transferred to a community center.
A committee convened by KTPH to investigate the death found that while Mr. Alagu was concerned about his daughters and the financial future, these were common concerns faced by many of the migrant worker patients.
His nephew, who worked for the same employer and lived in the same bedroom, said Alagu called him on April 21 to ask him to help take care of his family and ensure that his children received a good education.
Feeling that something was wrong, he probed his uncle further, but Mr. Alagu only said that everything was fine as he would recover soon.
Two days later, Mr. Alagu’s body was found without a pulse on an outdoor staircase on the third floor of the hospital. He was pronounced dead at 7.15 in the morning.
[[nid:497630]]An autopsy found that his injuries matched those caused by a fall from a height.
State Coroner Kamala said detecting the risk of suicide was “extremely difficult” and expressed his condolences to Alagu’s family.
Dr. Balhetchet said that the family must come together to help the children, which includes telling them they are not to blame.
“Those most affected by suicide are those left behind, and it could be a long time before this family can stabilize emotionally,” he added.
Ms. Panjali urged other migrant workers here to think about their families at home.
“No one should do something like this, no matter the difficulties,” he said.
“Please return safely to your families and children.”
HELP LINES
Migrant Workers Center (24-hour helpline): 6536-2692
Temporary workers also count: 6297-7564
Humanitarian Organization for the Economy of Migration: 6341-5535
HealthServe: + 65-3138-4443
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Mental Health Institute Helpline: 6389-2222
Care Corner Counseling Center (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
Tinkle’s friend: 1800-274-4788
For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.
This article was first published in The new role. Permission is required for reproduction.
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