Bihar Deputy CM denies starvation behind Samastipur mass suicide

Patna, June 6 In wake of the mass suicide by five members of a family, including two minors, in Bihar's Samastipur, Deputy Chief Minister Tar Kishore Prasad on Monday denied that starvation was a reason for the tragic incident.

"The incident was extremely unfortunate and the agencies are investigating... The victims had taken extreme steps due to starvation is hard to believe. The state government is providing free food grains to the people who need it. Such a policy was started in the first wave of Corona and it will remain till September this year. The mass suicide may not be done due to scarcity of food grain," he said while interacting with media persons in home town Katihar.

"The district police is investigating from all angles to find out actual reasons of mass suicide," Prasad added.

Earlier, Chief Nitish Kumar, expressing deep condolences to the family members of the victims, said that the investigation is underway to find out the reason.

Leader of Opposition in Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said that it is an extremely unfortunate, disheartening and painful experience for him that five persons of a family died due to poverty, starvation, stringency, and unemployment.

"Such an unfortunate incident attributed to bigotry of the double engine government is a black spot on Nitish Kumar government," he said.

Manoj Jha, 45, his wife Sundarmani Devi, 38, mother Sita Devi, 65, and the couple's children So Satyam, 10, and Shivam, 7 were found hanging in the house located in ward 11 of Samastipur.

Samastipur SP Hriday Kant said: "Preliminary investigation reveals that the victim Manoj Jha, 45, has taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh from various lenders and was unable to repay it." Sources have said that the entire family was in deep depression as the lenders were humiliating them for not paying the installments.

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