Mother, three children commit suicide in Punjab

Jalandhar (Punjab), July 4 : A 45-year-old woman - who was separated from her husband and apparently hard pressed for finances - committed suicide along with her three children here Saturday, police said.

According to police, Baljeet Kaur and her three children Prabhjit Kaur, 22, Varinder Kaur, 20, and Gobind Preet, 20, consumed poison in their home here.

There had been some tension in the family for the last few days. Baljeet was separated from her husband, who is an assistant sub-inspector in Punjab Police. Their divorce case is pending in a local court. The children were staying with the mother, police said.

'Baljeet was the first to consume the poisonous substance. On hearing her screams, her children rushed to help her but could not do anything. After this, they also consumed the same poison,' a police officer said.

He added: 'They were immediately taken to the civil hospital where they were declared 'brought dead' by the doctors.'

The family was living in a village near Jalandhar town, some 150 km from state capital Chandigarh.

One of the neighbours said on condition of anonymity: 'Baljeet was the lone bread-earner of the family. Her son Preet had bought a motorcycle a few days back against her wishes. This had further increased the financial burden on her and she was depressed since then.'

--IANS