Just days before cyclonic storm Gaja battered parts of coastal Tamil Nadu, a 12-year-old girl Vijaya from the state’s Thanjavur district died after a coconut tree fell on a shed where she was forced to stay as she was menstruating. Reportedly, the incident occurred on November 12.
According to an archaic tradition in the region, menstruating girls are not allowed to stay in their house for that period of time. Similarly, Vijaya, who got her first period three days before Gaja struck Tamil Nadu, was made to sleep in a room in the barn of her house. The animals were tied outside.
The tradition dictated that she had to stay in the barn for 16 days and could only enter after certain rituals were performed.
Vijaya was sleeping when an uprooted coconut tree fell on the thatched roof of the barn, killing her immediately. Her mother, who was sleeping beside her was injured during the accident and is currently undergoing treatment at Pattukottai government hospital, reports The News Minute.
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