Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur
Raipur, Jun 14: In a heartbreaking incident in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, three children from a single family have died, reportedly after being poisoned by their parents in an apparent joint suicide attempt. The parents, who are in critical condition, are undergoing treatment at the community health centre in Pakhanjur.
The tragedy unfolded in PV-70, one of the designated Paralkot Villages near Pankhajur, late on Friday night. The settlement falls under the jurisdiction of the Partapur police station.
Authorities were alerted early Saturday morning. By the time they reached the scene, the three children had already succumbed. The parents — identified as 36-year-old Devendra Bairagi and his wife, 32-year-old Namita Bairagi — were found unconscious and immediately rushed to the hospital.
The deceased children have been identified as 11-year-old Varsha, 7-year-old Deepti, and 5-year-old Devraj.
Speaking to IANS, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ravi Kujur said that the exact reason behind the drastic step remains unknown, as both parents are still unconscious. Investigators hope to learn more once they regain consciousness. He added that the police are currently examining multiple angles that could have pushed the family toward such a tragic act.
Dismissing earlier speculation, investigating officer Yashwant Shyam clarified that the incident took place at the family’s residence and not at a lodge, as some reports had suggested. “The family ingested poison at their home in PV-70. All three children died, and the parents remain in critical condition,” he stated.
The Bairagi family belongs to a community of Bangladeshi-origin migrants whose ancestors settled in India during the 1970s. PV-70 is one of 133 Paralkot Villages established in the Kapsi, Pakhanjur, and Bande regions for those displaced from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during earlier waves of migration. These settlers often faced extreme hardship, including landlessness and poverty.
The Dandakaranya Development Authority, established in 1958, was tasked with supporting such refugee populations, but many continue to live in vulnerable conditions even decades later.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the region, shedding light once again on the socio-economic challenges faced by displaced communities in rural India.