Daijiworld Media Network - Sullia (SP)

Sullia, May 19: In the first information report filed at the police station here, suicide by Kusuma with her three children at Atloor, Mulya of Ajjavar village in the taluk was caused by mental consternation created out of family problems.

Kusuma (33), wife of Raviraj, and her children, Likhitha (5), Lakshitha (3), and Srujan (2), had lost their lives after the mother threw the children into a pit before she jumped into it on Tuesday afternoon. As per the statement made by Kusuma's father in the town police station here, there were differences between Raviraj and his brothers over sharing of family property. On this issue, verbal skirmishes had taken places and differences had cropped up. Kusuma, he says, suffered from mental depression thereafter, after which she was referred to a specialist doctor.

Some locals said that there had been a fight between the brothers in the family after which Raviraj and his wife wanted to live separately. But his family did not approve of this proposal, it is gathered.

Depressed at this development, Kusuma had gone to stay with her parents for some time. After she was treated, and discussions were held at the house of a relative at Atloor between the two sides, she had come back to live with the family of her in-laws, sources added.

On Wednesday, all the bodies were taken to the house at Mulya Atloor, and verbal altercation took place between Kusuma's family and brothers of Raviraj before the cremation. As such, family squabbles have emerged as the foremost reason for these deaths. There are others who claim Kusuma would have killed herself on account of a depressed mind.