Constable’s suicide still a mystery

On Monday night, a constable with Delhi fire services committed suicide by hanging at his Ranjit Nagar house. Soukendra Singh (35) had not left behind any suicide note but the suspicion of a 'family curse' has reared its head.

On Monday night, a constable with Delhi fire services committed suicide by hanging at his Ranjit Nagar house. Soukendra Singh (35) had not left behind any suicide note but the suspicion of a 'family curse' has reared its head.

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In the last three years before his suicide on Thursday, Singh's two older brothers, both farmers in Meerut (UP), had ended their lives by consuming poison.

Singh's wife Devender Kaur, an Assistant Sub-Inspector with Delhi Police, is searching for an answer herself.

She told the police her husband was under no stress at home or his workplace.

"On Monday, Soukendra Singh returned home at 8:30pm but went to bed early. His wife

sent their 11-year-old son to the room to get a magazine when he found his father's body," said a senior police officer. He said this was Singh's second marriage.

Rajinder Kaur, the mother-in-law of the deceased, said, "His two brothers were into agriculture and tended their own farms in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Till today we have not been able to understand why his brothers consumed poison. We believe it is a family curse as everything else was fine with the family," said

The police said that the family did not have any financial problems.

"Their son studies in a good school. His wife's family provided them with all the support they needed. We have not found any suicide note. We are not sure why he took the extreme step," added the officer.

In the last five years, around 55 Delhi Police personnel have committed suicide.