BSF employee, lover commit suicide in Tarn Taran village

In a suicide pact, a Border Security Force (BSF) employee shot himself in the head with a .315-bore country-made pistol, while his girlfriend consumed a poisonous substance at Khalra village in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday.

In a suicide pact, a Border Security Force (BSF) employee shot himself in the head with a .315-bore country-made pistol, while his girlfriend consumed a poisonous substance at Khalra village in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as Harpreet Singh, 31, a resident of Pahuwind village in the district, and Manpreet Kaur, 20, of Sur Singh village. Harpreet died on the spot, while the girl was rushed to the Tarn Taran civil hospital, where she breathed her last.

Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manmohan Kumar Sharma said the lovers were upset at their families' opposition to their inter-caste affair.

Sharma added that statements of the kin of the deceased were being recorded. "The bodies are being sent for a postmortem. Further investigation is in progress," he said.