Couple, five children jump to death in Rajasthan; all 7 bodies retrieved

Jaipur/Jodhpur, March 1

A couple allegedly jumped to their deaths in a canal with their five children in Rajasthan’s Jalore district on Wednesday, police said.

The bodies of all seven were recovered, they said.

It appears to be a case of suicide. The seven bodies have been taken out from the canal and kept in the mortuary for post-mortem, Superintendent of Police Kiran Kang said.

The victims have been identified as Shankarlal (32), his wife Badli (30), their daughters Ramila (12), KC (10), Janvi (8) and sons Prakash (6) and Hitesh (3). They were residents of Ghalifa village, Sanchore police station SHO Niranjan Pratap Singh said.

Kang said the couple and their children might have jumped into the canal by tying their feet together.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Shankarlal, a farmer, took the step after a dispute with his wife, she said.

Circle Officer Roop Singh said, “They all reached the canal and jumped in about 2.30 pm.”

They left their clothes and a mobile phone at the banks.

The police roped in the State Disaster Response Force to retrieve the bodies.

Prakash’s body was recovered around 4.00 pm while those of his family members were retrieved shortly after around 200 metres away.

There was speculation on the reason why the couple took the step. Some villagers reportedly said that the couple quarrelled regularly and relatives had to intervene after one such argument on Monday. On Wednesday, they found the family had suddenly gone missing.

Some others have alleged that the family was being harassed by someone in the village. According to this version, the panchayat met two days ago on the issue but did not find any resolution. The couple had appealed to the villagers to get them justice and they were under duress.

The police, however, have not commented on these versions.

“We have yet to ascertain the cause,” the circle officer said, adding that they are waiting for the family to file a complaint.