Teen jumps from hill, parents follow; all three dead

According to locals, the teenager had left home after an argument with his father and gone to the hilltop after 10.30 am, threatening to die by suicide

Three members of a family—a couple and their 19-year-old son—died after falling from a height of more than 500 feet at Khawadya Hill in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Friday afternoon.

His parents followed him and pleaded with him not to take the extreme step. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

According to locals, the teenager had left home after an argument with his father and gone to the hilltop after 10.30 am, threatening to die by suicide. His parents followed him and pleaded with him not to take the extreme step.

The police, fire brigade personnel and villagers soon gathered at the spot and tried to persuade the teenager to move away from the edge of the hill. Police received a call around 11 am about a youth standing near the edge of the hill and attempting to die by suicide. As a precaution, fire brigade personnel placed a safety net at the foothill.

The teenager repeatedly changed his position, making it difficult for the rescue teams to anticipate his movements.

According to locals, after 1 pm, the teenager’s father slowly approached him and pleaded with him to step away from the edge. Suddenly, the teenager jumped from the hilltop. His father also leapt in an attempt to save him. Seeing her husband and son falling, the teenager’s mother too jumped from the hilltop.

The police confirmed the deaths of all three. Their bodies were sent for autopsy.

Rameshwar Gade, inspector, MIDC Waluj Police Station, said police, fire brigade personnel and villagers made every effort to prevent the teenager from taking the extreme step.

“It seems he was deliberately attempting to take the extreme step. Our personnel continued trying to convince him. He had reached a stage where he was beginning to understand and was also changing his mind. However, the police did not know that his father was present in the crowd. His father suddenly came forward from the crowd and tried to call out to him and save him. Later, the teenager’s mother too jumped from the hilltop,” Gade said.

According to Gade, the police had made extensive rescue arrangements at the spot. Physically attempting to restrain the teenager could also have endangered the lives of police personnel. However, while the rescue operation was underway, the father suddenly approached his son in an attempt to save him. Both fell from the hill.

Sanjay Jadhav, former sarpanch of Tisgaon village, who was also trying to persuade the teenager, said, “We, along with the administration, were trying to convince the teenager from Deolali locality of Sambhajinagar city for almost three hours, but he was not in a condition to listen to anybody.”

Villagers said the spot from where the trio fell is known as a suicide spot, with around 10 to 12 cases of suicide reported in the past. Their repeated demand for installation of a safety net remains unmet.

“Preliminary information suggests that he had a dispute or argument with his father,” police officials said.

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