Man commits suicide in Kamla Nehru Park, cops suspect property dispute

A 45-year-old former Merchant Navy officer committed suicide allegedly by consuming poison on Sunday evening at a public park in Gurgaon.

A 45-year-old former Merchant Navy officer committed suicide allegedly by consuming poison on Sunday evening at a public park in Gurgaon.

A 45-year-old former Merchant Navy officer committed suicide allegedly by consuming poison on Sunday evening at a public park in Gurgaon. (Photo for representation)

According to the police, a property dispute is believed to have forced the man to take the extreme step.

Police said the victim, Satish Balhara, lived in Sector 5 with his wife Rekha. Balhara was working with a private college as librarian for the past seven years. His wife works as a lab instructor in an engineering college. He had quit his job in the Merchant Navy in 2008.

Balhara left home on Saturday morning at 8 to meet his parents in Rohtak, the police said. He returned to Gurgaon and consumed poison in Kamla Nehru Park near Sadar market. A passerby informed the police who rushed him to the Civil Hospital. He was later transferred to Delhi but could not be saved.

Balhara’s wife Rekha said, “I received a call from the police who told me about the incident. He died on Sunday night before I could meet him.”

According to the police, the couple was in dire need of money but Balhara’s family refused to help them. The family allegedly refused to part with Balhara’s property share, the police said. The couple had been trying to have a child and had finally decided to opt for IVF treatment, the police said. Balhara had reportedly asked his parents to support him financially by giving him his share in the property.

“Satish was very upset for the past few years. He had invested in a joint family property and despite several attempts, the parents refused to give him his share. We needed money for treatment,” Rekha said.

The body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination on Monday.