Hair-dye allergy led the nun to kill herself

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police team investigating the death of Sister Mary Ancy has found out that the nun had developed the skin disease after using a cosmetic to dye her hair.The police have drawn the conclusion that she was deeply depressed owing to the allergic skin disease from August 12, which ultimately prompted her to end her life.Meanwhile, State Women’s Commission (SWC) chairperson Justice D Sreedevi, who visited the convent on Monday, said that the police cannot conclude the case to be a suicide by just conducting a spot visit.“If there is any drawback on the  part of the investigation team, the Commission will directly interfere in the probe,’’ she said.The SWC has ordered a probe into the death of the nun who was found dead in the water tank of the convent at Poonkulam on Wednesday, following a complaint filed by human rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackal. Justice Sreedevi and director and head of the SWC investigation branch N Ramachandran collected evidence after visiting the spot.A senior police official investigating the case said that it was a case of suicide based on the initial forensic report and the post-mortem report. The police ruled out any foul play citing that if she was pushed into the small underground water tank, there could have been injuries on her body.There are no circumstantial evidence to prove that it is a case of murder. These all points to the fact that the nun committed suicide.Also, she was deeply depressed after she developed the skin disease, and she was also under medication for sleeplessness,’’ the official said.So far, the probe team has questioned more than 40 people in connection with the case.The nun, a teacher at the Holy Cross Lower Primary School, was found dead on Wednesday morning. Reminiscent of the Sister Abhaya episode, the nun went missing from her room where she had gone to sleep on Tuesday night after prayers. Her body was found in the water tank on Wednesday morning by fellow inmates.The removal of the heavy slab of the tank had fuelled speculations that it was a case of murder. But the police on Wednesday itself had maintained that the slab could have been dragged slowly by the nun herself as she had a good physique.