Man slits throats of his sons in Delhi, one dies

The man and his elder son are being treated. They are both serious, but stable, said police officers aware of the matter

A 36-year-old man allegedly slit the throats of his two sons, aged two and five, killing the former, before attempting to take his own life by slashing his throat at their home in Wazirpur in northwest Delhi on Monday evening, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the man allegedly attacked his children after a family feud. Police said he had a history of alcohol abuse. (Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Jitendra Kumar Meena said the police received a call around 6.30pm about the incident. A police team reached the house and found the 36-year-old man, who worked as an inverter mechanic in Inderlok, and his two children lying in pools of blood.

All three were taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared the two-year-old boy dead on arrival.

The man and his elder son are being treated. They are both serious, but stable, said police officers aware of the matter.

Police said that the man lived with his wife, two children, mother and sister in their two-storey house in Wazirpur slum. His mother and sister lived on the ground floor, while he lived on first floor with his wife and two sons.

According to the police, the man allegedly attacked his children after a family feud. Police said he had a history of alcohol abuse. A case of murder, and attempt to murder has been registered at the Bharat Nagar police station, police added.

“Initial inquiry revealed that the man’s wife had gone to the ground floor, where her mother-in-law lives, to fetch water when he attacked the children. Prima facie, it appears that he was enraged and upset due to a family feud,” added DCP Meena.

“The case has been registered against the man. We have deployed personnel at the hospital to watch him and ensure that he doesn’t try again to kill himself or flee. He and his injured son are under the doctors’ observation,” said a police officer, who asked not to be named, and added that the investigating team is questioning his family to ascertain the exact reason that led to the incident.

According to the officer, the man stopped going to work after Diwali and often returned home drunk.

He quarrelled with his wife and other family members, said officers.

“From the family and neighbours, we have learnt that the altercations mostly happened over financial reasons and his drinking habits,” added the officer.