Cachar woman kills daughters, ends life over ‘domestic abuse’

Silchar: In a suspected case of domestic violence, a 24-year-old mother allegedly killed her two daughters before taking her own life at a cement company’s residential quarters in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya on Sunday evening.The deceased have been identified as Ripa Das (24), her elder daughter Arpita (5) and her six-month-old daughter Panchami. The family, originally from Baroitoli village in Cachar district, was living in the company quarters.According to police, preliminary investigation suggests it to be a case of suicide. Ripa’s husband, Arpan, had left home for work after lunch. When he returned in the evening, he reportedly found Ripa hanging inside the house, while the bodies of the two children lay nearby.Ripa’s father, Ratan, alleged that his daughter had long been subjected to physical and mental torture by her husband. “Just a few hours before her death, Ripa called me, saying she wanted to return home as she could no longer bear the abuse. But before she could come back, this tragedy struck,” he told the media, demanding justice.Locals have raised questions about the deaths of the children, even as police maintain that all angles are being investigated.

Police officials, accompanied by forensic experts, recovered the bodies and sent them to Khliehriat Civil Hospital for an autopsy. The bodies will be handed over to the family in Cachar after the necessary formalities.Following the news, Ripa’s relatives rushed to Meghalaya on Sunday night after lodging a report at the Katigorah police station.