A 42-year-old woman and her teenage daughter were found dead under mysterious circumstances at Dheva village under Jawali police station in Kangra’s Nurpur police district on Friday, while her minor son was admitted to hospital in critical condition.
The deceased were identified as Shakuntla Devi, an ASHA worker and wife of Budhi Singh, and her 15-year-old daughter, Priya Devi. Her 14-year-old son, Guglu, is undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, Jawali.
According to the police, the incident came to light after the village panchayat pradhan, Ravinder Singh, informed the Jawali police on Friday morning.
Superintendent of Police Ilma Afroz and DSP Jawali Biri Singh rushed to the spot and inspected the house. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Nurpur, also examined the scene and collected circumstantial evidence.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the mother, daughter and son had allegedly vomited inside their room. The three had slept together in the same room on Thursday night, while Budhi Singh, a daily wage labourer, was staying in an adjoining house with his mother. The family members and villagers rushed the boy to the Civil Hospital after finding him in a critical condition on Friday morning.
SP Ilma Afroz said a detailed scientific investigation was underway and the exact cause of the deaths would be known only after the postmortem report was received. She said all possible angles were being examined, adding that a family-related issue appeared to be one of the probable reasons behind the incident. Proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been initiated.
The deaths have cast a pall of gloom over the village. Meanwhile, the Kangra District Child Welfare Committee has taken cognisance of the case and sought a status report from the Jawali police, directing it to ensure a fair and impartial investigation.
