Wedding marred, Behala family swallows pills

Monotosh Chakraborty, TNN, Jun 23, 2010, 05.18am IST

KOLKATA: An elderly couple and their daughter from Behala tried to commit suicide after a local youth, who had lent some money to the family, reportedly threw a spanner in the girl’s wedding plans.

Prabhat Das and his wife Tanushree had been preparing for their daughter Shampa’s (name changed) wedding next month. The invitation cards were ready and the caterer had been contacted. But everything changed last week after the groom’s family called up to say that they had decided to back out.

And on Tuesday morning, the family was rescued from a shabby hotel room at Ajoynagar on the southern fringes of the city and taken to Peerless Hospital. All three had consumed sleeping pills and were unconscious.

Das was an employee of Metal Box who earned his living as a private tutor ever since the company shut down. He had reportedly borrowed some money from a local youth called Debraj.

Neighbours and the police pieced together a sad account of woes which might have led them to take the extreme step. Twenty-seven-year-old Shampa’s marriage had to be called off last week after Debraj apparently tipped off the groom’s family about his relationship with Shampa, said police. “Debraj also demanded the money that he had lent Das and insulted him publicly a few days ago,” said a police officer.

Das was apparently being hounded by Debraj for quite some time. According to neighbours, the youth had threatened the family with dire consequences if she was married off elsewhere. Even on Monday evening, he had come to the Das’s Kabiguru Sarani home along with a friend. But the family had left the house by then.

“He returned on Tuesday and made a ruckus. The youth left after having realized that the family had not come back,” said a police officer.

According to sources, the family had left their home on Monday itself. On the same day, they checked into the hotel at Ajoynagar. Those at the reception had no inkling of their motive. They mentioned ‘daughter’s exam’ as the purpose of their visit in the register. They walked into their room and never opened the door till hotel authorities broke it open on Wednesday morning after the family did not answer their calls.

Empty sleeping pill cases and cold drink bottles were found scattered on the floor. A note book was lying on a side table in which Das has apparently scribbled why he was forced to take the extreme step. Even though the police are yet to go through it, they believe that humiliation and embarrassment resulting from the broken marriage had driven them to a corner.

It was the neighbours who told the police about Debraj and the cops detained him for questioning along with a friend. He was let off with a warning. None had any idea that the insult and the humiliation heaped on them had already made the Das family crumble.

“Shampa was doing her MA in psychology and also worked as a counsellor,” said a neighbour.

A pall of gloom descended on the locality as neighbours threw a ring around the house. There was a silver lining for the hapless family, though. Even as they struggled for their lives, news reached the neighbourhood that Shampa’s prospective groom, who had earlier backed out, has agreed to the marriage.

From: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Kolkata-/Wedding-marred-Behala-family-swallows-pills/articleshow/6080717.cms