Kolkata: 3 of Behala family die in ‘suicide pact’

KOLKATA: Three members of a family in Behala’s Silpara allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison after they reportedly entered a suicide pact.
The bodies were discovered on Tuesday morning after locals knocked on their door when they did not hear from the family for several hours.
Failing health, financial distress coupled with lockdown woes and depression have been primarily held as reasons behind the incident. Cops are investigating whether a couple of developments involving the head of the family prior to the incident, could have hastened their decision.
This is a second incident of a family entering a suicide pact in less than a week. The first one was reported from Bansdroni.
Thakurpukur police said they had reached the Satyanarayan Pally address and entered the two-room flat to find all three persons lying unconscious in the same room. “We have identified them as Gobinda Karmakar (80), his wife Rumu (70) and son Debasis (47). On the wall, we found three words written with chalk ‘We three are dying.’ A suicide note and a cup, which had ‘beware, poison’ written on it, was found from the spot. The bodies have been sent for postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death,” said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.
TOI accessed the suicide note and found that Gobinda had mentioned that his son Debasis was physically handicapped and paralysed. His added that his wife, too, got paralysed on her right. “I request my well wishers — who have helped me in several ways so far — not to hold our last rites. This is my last wish.” The note also mentioned what to do with his property, the papers for which were left in his table drawer,” Gobinda wrote. He has clearly stated that no one was responsible for his death.
Police said while Debasis was not being able to walk, his wife Rumu suffered a heart during the first phase of the lockdown, which left her with partial paralysis and drained the family financially.
“The lockdown, too, at such a point made it difficult for the family to make ends meet. Debasish had retired many years ago from a factory at Taratala after obtaining VRS. He was making ends meet by repairing electronic items and manufacturing clocks. But with the lockdown, Gobinda’s meagre earnings stopped. The family’s savings were all gone. Neighbours have told us how he refused help from anyone saying he will survive as long as he can fend for himself,” said an investigating officer.
Neighbours, however, claimed that an incident last Sunday might have left Gobinda uneasy. “He had gone to the market but fell sick himself and fainted. He has no fan at his residence and the heat made him feel sick. Later, two cops took all three family members to Vidyasagar Hospital. The doctors there said since he was feverish, he should go to a Covid hospital and asked us to take him to Medical College Hospital(MCH),” said neighbour Tapan Chowdhury.
Chowdhury added: “When we called the Lalbazar Control room, they took them to MCH. Later, he was taken to NRS Hospital, where he was declared fit. We believe he feared that if anything happens to him, it will leave his son and wife at the mercy of others.”
When TOI contacted about the allegation against Vidyasagar Hospital, its superintendent Ranjit Das said he was yet to hear about the allegations.