People of Budhapanka village of Banarpal block in Angul district are shocked over the tragic death of a man and his minor son, who committed suicide after jumping into the well late on Sunday night. The bodies of Gokulananda Guru (45) and his son Seta were recovered from the well by fire service personnel next morning. Gokulananda’s father
Rabi Guru said his son decided to take the extreme step as he was unable to look after his family. Gokulananda was living with his wife Babita, his four children including the only son, his old parents and an unmarried sister at the Nuasahi locality of Budhapanka. He was a daily wage labourer and his wife was a cook at an Anganwadi centre near the village. The family barely managed to survive with the meagre income.
Misfortune struck the family after Babita left the house about one and a half years ago. Though Gokulananda lodged a complaint with the police, the latter failed to trace Babita. In his wife’s absence, it became extremely difficult for Gokulananda to run his family. Due to severe mental stress, he soon became disabled. Gokulananda’s old mother labangi began begging from her neighbours in a desperate struggle for survival.
There was no end to the family’s misery as the old age pension of labangi and her husband and the disabled person pension of Gokulananda were not enough to meet the family’s needs. labangi said Gokulananda had gone to sleep with his son and a daughter in the night. When she woke up late in the night, she found her granddaughter sleeping beside her.
She called up her neighbours when she found his son and grandson missing. After a frantic search, the bodies of the duo were found floating in a well.