Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 18 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Tuesday urged the government to order a comprehensive probe into the incidents of girls taking their own lives in nearby tribal hamlets in this southern district over the past few months.

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He said adequate compensation should be paid to the victims' families.

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A Congress delegation led by Satheesan today visited Peringamala Idinjar and Kochuvila tribal villages, some 40 km from here, where five girls died by suicide under mysterious circumstances.

Expressing concern over such incidents happening in the tribal hamlets, Satheesan alleged that operations of drug peddlers were rampant in these villages and the government failed to contain it.

Their targets were both teenage boys and girls. "Girls aged 16 and 17 are the victims of their nefarious activities," he said.

Alleging that the outsiders with criminal backgrounds visit the hamlets targeting the youth, Satheesan said the government departments, including the police, should be vigilant to prevent their criminal activities there.

He also accused the government of not conducting proper investigation into the suicides of girls reported in the past few months.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)