Kolkata Suicide: 8 hr silence after morning quarrel alerted neighbours | Kolkata News

KOLKATA: Neighbours at Rajdanga Gold Park, a locality off RB Connector close to Kasba Nabapally, recall hearing arguments between the Bhattacharyas, with Tuesday morning being no exception. Yet, unlike other days, neither the doors nor, more importantly, the windows opened once throughout the day. Almost eight hours later, when the maid and the newspaper vendor both approached former Indian Oil employee Suvendu Kumar, a next-door neighbour, saying no one was answering their calls, he immediately contacted the building secretary, and Kasba police were informed.“There never was a day when they shut themselves up. It struck us as odd. The elderly couple often argued — a regular affair for the last four to five months — but they never discussed the reasons with us. But both came across as approachable with a special love towards the weak, including strays, birds, and the pets in the area,” said Manasi Adhikari, a neighbour.Almost 24 hours after Sarajit Bhattacharya (70), his wife Gargi (68), and their son Ayusman (38) were found hanging in their second-floor apartment at 50, Rajdanga Gold Park, cops said their deaths were “voluntary”

“All the deaths were caused due to the effects of ante-mortem hanging. Non-continuous ligature marks were found around their necks. No other injury could be found,” said Joint CP (crime & traffic) Rupesh Kumar.In the suicide note, they wrote, “We are surrendering ourselves to God. We are leaving this world voluntarily.” As their final wish, they requested that all three of them be cremated at the same place. Investigators believe the extreme decision was primarily due to financial debt. “The son, who had special needs, was also suffering from depression, which affected his parents too,” said an officer. Cops said the parents were concerned about who would care for their son, given his special needs, which led to their decision to end their lives together. The family was reportedly struggling financially due to the high cost of the son’s treatment. Although the exact amount of debt is unknown, it is suspected that they were unable to pay the rent for their current flat in Rajdanga, having sold their flat at Kasba’s Bakultala Lane almost 20 years ago.The neighbours recall Sarajit leaving for his brokerage firm each day close to noon and Gargi, a former teacher who also claimed to have been employed with a reputable paint factory, making a futile attempt to find students to impart tuition classes. “The bodies have been handed over to Gargi’s niece, Sudeshna for the last rites,” said Kumar.Cops said they are talking to the owner of the house, a resident of Sonarpur. “The suicide note suggests some money was paid, but they still owed him,” an officer said.