LUDHIANA – A marital dispute turned ugly after a man hanged himself and his three-year-old son at his factory unit at Issa Nagri.
The deceased have been identified as 36-year-old Sham Sunder Gupta and his son Keshav.
Sham Sunder’s six-year-old daughter Dhriti had a miraculous escape as she managed to loosen the rope around her neck.
The incident took place at 7 am. Sham Sunder started from his home after telling his wife Priyanka that he was going to drop the children at school.
Dhriti, who was visibly shaken after the incident, said, “Instead of going to school, my father took us to the factory unit. On reaching the factory, my father told me that he had brought swings for us. I saw three ropes hanging from the beam. Beneath these were stools. My father tied the rope around our necks and told us to jump. Then, he along with my brother jumped from the stool and pushed me as well. Somehow, I managed to free myself and fell down.” On being questioned further, she began to cry.
A worker at the factory unit said that the girl came out of the factory unit and raised the alarm. Sham Sunder’s wife Priyanka admitted that she had strained relations with her husband and had even filed a police complaint, the inquiry of which is pending in the women’s cell. She alleged that her husband used to fight with her after being provoked by his sisters.
The SHO said that a suicide note had been found from Sham Sunder’s clothes.
The police have booked Priyanka, her brother Rahul and other family members in an abetment to suicide case.
