Family of six die by suicide in Yadgir district of Karnataka

Six members of a family died by suicide in Yadgir district of Karnataka on Monday afternoon, police officials said. The preliminary investigations suggested that the family was dependent on agriculture and that they were debt-ridden with money owed to private lenders. The incident took place in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district, one of the state's poorest regions, where migration of labour is common. 

According to the police the deceased were identified as Bhimaraya Surapura, 45 and Shantamma, 36, while their children were - Sumitra, 13, Sridevi 12, Shivaraj, 9 and Lakshmi, 8.

"This incident appears to be a suicide pact between family," said a police official investigating the case. "We are still ascertaining the veracity of allegations levelled by residents of Doranahalli village, who had accused that private financiers were harassing this family," said the police.

The farmer reportedly had a well dug up on his land and reaped a watermelon harvest but he could not transport them in the lockdown last year. This exacerbated his financial crisis. The police have registered a case and are continuing to investigate.

The incident comes two weeks after a family of four took their lives in Chamarajanagar district in the southern part of the state.Unemployment and poverty were cited as reasons for the family to take the extreme step. The farmer Mahadevaswamy tested positive for the coronavirus in May, weeks before the suicide. The family was reportedly ostracised and were not able to sell milk or even fetch water from the public tap.

Most districts in Karnataka have relaxed lockdown rules and essential stores are open till 5 pm. The current rules are in effect till July 5 and new guidelines are expected to be shared this week.