Kasaragod family suicide: Parents, son dead after consuming acid; younger one critical

Kasaragod: Three members of a family are dead, and one is battling for life after consuming acid used for rubber processing near Kanhangad town in the early hours of Thursday.

The deceased — residents of Ondampuli at Paraklayi in Kodom-Belur panchayat — are Gopi Mulaveniveedu (56), his wife KV Indira (54), both farmers, and their elder son Ranjesh (36). Their younger son, Ragesh (35), is in critical condition at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kannur, at Pariyaram.

According to Ambalathara Police, the family consumed the acid around 3.30 am. Ragesh managed to call his paternal uncle Narayanan, a neighbour who runs a grocery shop at Paraklayi, around 4 am. "He said he got scared seeing his parents and brother struggling for life," said Soumya M, their neighbour.

Narayanan and another neighbour, Ashokan, used Ashokan’s jeep to rush the four to the District Hospital in Kanhangad. Gopi died before reaching the District Hospital, 30 minutes away. Doctors at Kanhangad referred the others to the Government Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram, an hour away. Indira died on the way, while Ranjesh succumbed during treatment at the Medical College Hospital, said Ambalathara Police. Ragesh's condition is critical, said neighbour Sreejith Parakkalayi, speaking from the hospital. “He has suffered severe internal burns, and his mouth has been badly disfigured," he said.

Police have cordoned off their secluded house at Ondampuli.

The family was described as quiet and hardworking. Neighbours said they mostly kept to themselves, good-natured and without bad habits. "The sons were well-behaved. It is hard to believe they took such a step," said Soumya, who is also the leader of the MGNREGS neighbourhood group.

Ranjesh and Ragesh had studied up to Class 12 and later went to the Gulf in search of work. They returned around five years ago. Ranjesh married after returning, but his marriage ultimately collapsed and ended in divorce.

The brothers, along with their parents, then started a grocery shop named Thulsi Stores at Chementhodu in Paraklayi. The family worked together at the store, with the sons always present. But about a year and a half ago, they ran into financial trouble and were forced to sell the shop to the building owner, who continues to run it successfully, said Soumya.

Afterwards, Ranjesh and Rajesh found work as salesmen in two different grocery stores in Kanhangad town.

The family also owned land. Six months ago, they felled their rubber trees and planted coconut saplings. "Our MNREGS workers planted the saplings," Soumya said.

Neighbours believe the family’s financial burden could not be overwhelming. "They had land and could have sold it to clear debts. It cannot have been very high considering they led a modest life," she said. "But they must have felt crushed."