Deogarh: In a chilling incident of what is being alleged as a mass suicide bid, a couple tried to poison their five-year-old son before taking their own lives in Kundheigola police limits of Odisha's Deogarh district. The minor boy survived the ordeal and is undergoing treatment in a critical state in Cuttack.

The impact of the tragedy, was the fallout of a prolonged domestic discord, has left the child orphaned and fighting for life, sending shockwaves through the local community in Khairapali Pandi area. 

As per reports, Dushmant Majhi of Jayantapali village under Kundheigola police station and his wife Rinki were frequently involved in family disputes. Last Tuesday, the couple, along with their five-year-old son, had gone to Rinki’s parental home at Jharabereni village under Chadeimara panchayat. On Saturday evening, they were returning to Jayantapali on a motorcycle when they reportedly had another heated argument midway.

The altercation escalated and the couple, after entering a roadside forest area near Dalak village, allegedly forced poison on their minor son and then consumed poison themselves. Fortunately, the child survived the night alone in the forest. On Sunday morning around 10 am, the boy reached the roadside carrying his mother’s vanity bag and informed passersby that his parents were lying unconscious inside the forest.

Police launch probe into child poisoning

Upon receiving information from local residents, police rushed to the spot. During the search, police found Dushmant and Rinki lying in a critical condition near a rocky patch inside dense forest, about 400 metres from the road. Three pesticide bottles were also recovered from the spot. The police seized the poison bottles and rushed the couple to Chhendipada hospital in Angul district, where doctors declared Dushmant dead. Rinki and the child were shifted to the Angul District Headquarters Hospital.

On Sunday evening, Rinki succumbed to poisoning while undergoing treatment. The child was later referred to Cuttack for advanced medical care. After postmortem at Chhendipada hospital, Dushmant’s body was handed over to his family, while Rinki’s body has been kept at the Angul DHH mortuary for postmortem examination. The exact reason behind the alleged suicide will be ascertained after completion of the investigation.

Meanwhile, doctors at Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack stated that the health condition of the five-year-old boy, Gaurab Majhi, is stable at present, and arrangements have been made to shift him to the ICU if required. They also informed that while attempts were made to force poison on the child, he vomited it out, which saved his life.

Also read: Youth attempts suicide after being booked for ditching divyang woman in Odisha