Poverty wipes out family of six

By Prashant Pandey

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 14. Forced to lead a life of penury allegedly due to his employer's apathy, a 40-year-old man poisoned his wife and four minor children before committing suicide himself at New Seemapuri in North-East Delhi on Friday.

The bizarre case came to light on Friday morning when a man claiming to be a relative of Ramesh Chander came to the family's two-room residence at New Seemapuri. Upon getting no response to repeated knocks, the man informed a neighbour who in turn called up the police.

The bodies of the four children -- Priyanka, Meenakshi, Vishal and Anil -- were found on a bedsheet with their heads resting on pillows. The body of Ramesh was found lying head down near the door leading to the other room where his wife Sadhna's body lay.

A note scribbled on the wall with a red crayon named a jeweller -- at whose shop Ramesh had once worked as a goldsmith -- as the man responsible for the family's plight.

Police said Ramesh Chander had left the job at the jeweller's shop in Kinari Bazar at Chandni Chowk about four months ago as he was suffering from some illness. However, he could not resume work later as the jeweller had appointed another person in his place meanwhile. Moreover, he also told Ramesh to vacate the premises rented out to him. Ramesh's wife Sadhna, meanwhile, was suffering from some stomach ailment which added to Ramesh's problems.

A few days after losing his job, Ramesh apparently started selling his belongings to make both ends meet. ``About a fortnight ago he sold the electric iron and a fan to a shopkeeper as he was badly in need of money,'' said a neighbour on Friday. When the police broke open the door this morning, all they found was a few plates, spoons and a couple of glasses.

``Even electricity and water supply were disconnected. Can you imagine an entire family going without food, water and electricity in a place like Delhi?'' asked Mr. B. L.Genwal, president of the New Seemapuri Residents' Welfare Association. However, no one apparently had had any inkling of the family's travails.

Neighbours also said that the family apparently did not have any relatives in the city. ``Even the person who had come this morning and claimed to be their relative escaped from the scene after the police arrived,'' recalled one neighbour.

The police are awaiting the post-mortem reports. A case of abetment to suicide has been registered at the Seemapuri police station.

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