Delhi Teenage suicide victims cremated as their boards results arrive

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) The bodies of Jagdish Singh and Hargul Kaur, both victims of a family suicide pact, were consigned to flames on Tuesday, the day their board results were announced.
     Jagdish, 16, Hargul, 15, and their 40-year-old father, Hardeep Singh, ingested a red powder used for protecting metals from eroding in south Delhi's Sangam Park area. All of them died.
     Hardeep's wife, Harpreet Kaur, 38, who too ate the poison, died during treatment.
     On Monday, the family ingested the chemical by mixing it with water inside DSIDC Shed number 63, Sangam Park, where it operated a small-scale horn manufacturing business, a police officer said.
     Jagdish was a student of class 12, while Hargul studied in class 10.
     On Sunday night, the family left their house in Chander Vihar, where they had relocated on April 13 from Model Town, and went to Shishganj Gurdwara in Chandni Chowk, a police source said.
     They spent the night at the gurdwara where Hardeep thought of options to end their lives.
     According to the source, while the powder can be bought at chemist shops, the family already had it at their plant where the powder is sprayed over the horns as an anti-rust coat.
     Police suspect that the family ate the poison after suffering losses in business. Some relatives claim that they were not struggling financially.
     "My son was a finance expert. He knew how to run a business and how to recover from losses. He couldn't have ended his life over financial stress," Hardeep's father Ujagar Singh told reporters.
     "His children were mentally very strong. I just don't understand why he took such a step along with his family. Anyone claiming it was due to financial trouble is wrong," he added.
     Hardeep, his wife Harpreet, son Jagdish and daughter Hargul consumed poison in a 12x16 foot room of shed no 63, DSIDC, Sangam Park, Bharat Nagar, on Monday morning.
     No suicide note was found at the scene, but police recovered an orange-coloured poisonous powder and transparent glasses with traces of the substance mixed in water. These have been sent to the forensic lab.
     The bodies were handed over to the family after postmortem at Bara Hindu Rao Hospital on Tuesday morning.
     "He never shared his troubles. He was a fighter," said Singh, who was seen sitting on a metal bench in the mortuary.
     "When he parted ways from a relative, he worked in Kathmandu, Nepal, and suffered heavy losses. But he never let any worry show on his face in front of his wife, children or anyone else. What forced him to take this extreme step, only God knows. Now that he's gone, only his wife can tell what really happened, if she survives," he added.
     Some people are saying that this suicide was due to financial stress, which is wrong, said another family member.
     "Hardeep and his family earlier lived in Mahendru Enclave in Model Town, paying Rs 28,000 in rent. He rented a room in Sangam Park for Rs 8,000 to run his horn manufacturing business. A few months ago, his employee left the job despite being paid well. His kids studied at reputed public schools in Delhi. On Baisakhi, they moved into their own home in Chander Vihar, Nangloi, a house they owned for some time. All this shows there was no financial crisis," he added.
     A nearby factory owner said that his factory is adjacent to Hardeep's. He usually arrived by 10 am.
     "On Monday morning, his aunt Avtar Kaur came with the police. They were searching the rooms. Just then, the inner latch of the room opened and Hardeep's son Jagdish somehow came out in very poor condition. He collapsed as he stepped out. Hearing the noise, the police and his aunt reached the room. Inside, Hardeep, his wife, and daughter were unconscious. Police immediately took them to a nearby hospital," he said requested anonymity, adding that Hardeep was physically and mentally strong.
     According to acquaintances, Hardeep was a helpful person who never let his children's needs go unmet. He ensured they never felt a lack of money. He raised his kids with values and it is shocking that the children accepted the glass of poison without protest.
     A neighbour said that the family was spiritually drawn and often participated in religious activities.
     The police said that one of the children managed to inform their aunt before collapsing. She alerted emergency services following which the police and medical teams responded.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)