Chamarajanagar: Pandemic push four of family to commit suicide

Chamarajanagar: Four members of a family hang themselves at H Mookahalli in Chamarajanagar on Wednesday, June 2. It is suspected that unemployment and poverty might have forced them to take the extreme step.

The deceased are Mahadevaswamy (55), a marginal farmer, his wife Mangalamma (40), daughters Geetha (15), and Sruthi (11). They were found hanging at their house.

Reportedly, Mahadevaswamy tested positive on May 9 and was under home isolation. Other members of the family, though did not have symptoms, too were told to quarantine themselves by Asha workers.

Mahadevaswamy, who owned 1.5 acres of dry land and a milking cow, could not go out to work since Covid struck or sell milk at the local dairy. He was normally paid Rs 250 per day and even that meagre income had stopped, pushing the family to the brink.

The incident came to light on Wednesday when one of the villagers knocked on Mahadevaswamy’s door to call him for a day’s job and found the family hanging.

Chamarajangar Rural police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies for postmortem.