A woman in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district poisoned her three children before consuming poison herself, apparently driven by suspicion that her husband had married a second time in Delhi. The woman and two of her children died in the incident, while her elder daughter remains under treatment. The incident took place late on Monday night in Parsona village under the Madihan police station area.
What happened that night
According to Circle Officer (CO) Faheem, who shared details of the case, 38 year old Kusum Dharikar first gave poison to her two daughters, Madhu (12) and Radhika (10), and her 8 year old son Satya, before consuming poison herself. Once family members realised what had happened, all four were rushed to the primary health centre in Madihan. Given the seriousness of their condition, doctors referred them to the district hospital for further treatment.
Mother and daughter die at district hospital, son dies at BHU
Kusum and her daughter Radhika died during treatment at the district hospital. As Madhu and Satya's condition worsened, they were later shifted to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) hospital in Varanasi for better medical care. Satya died during treatment there as well, taking the death toll in the incident to three, Kusum, Radhika and Satya. Madhu, the eldest of the three children, continues to be treated at the BHU hospital, and her condition is currently being described as stable.
Suspicion over husband's second marriage
Police said their preliminary investigation found that Kusum had long suspected her husband, Dharmendra Dharikar, who works in Delhi, of having married a second time there. She reportedly believed that he was neglecting her and their children while staying away in Delhi. This suspicion, coupled with the isolation she felt, is believed to have driven her to the extreme step.
A compromise was reached at the police station, but he didn't take her back
Police said that on July 12, a compromise was worked out between the two sides at the Santnagar police station. Under the agreement, Dharmendra was supposed to take Kusum back home with him on July 13. However, according to police, Dharmendra did not take her along. Left hurt and disappointed, Kusum returned to her parental home in Parsona village, where the tragedy unfolded just hours later.
Police begin legal action on family's complaint
Kusum's family has filed a police complaint against her husband Dharmendra and her brother in law. Police said necessary legal action is being taken based on the family's complaint. The investigation into the case continues, with police also examining the circumstances behind Kusum's suspicion about her husband's alleged second marriage.
