MITHI: Bodies of a married man and his sister-in-law were found hanging from ceiling fans in a house owned by an assistant sub-inspector of police in Fakeer locality on Thursday.

Area residents cast doubts on suicide of Doongar Meghwar, 39, who worked as a cook at the police official Gul Mohammad Sand’s residence, and his sister-in-law identified as Babita Meghwar, 20.

They told media persons on condition of anonymity that it was highly unlikely that Doongar, who was father of four and married to Babita’s elder sister, and his sister-in-law would have chosen the police official’s house to end their lives.

Sajna Meghwar, mother of Babita, claimed before journalists that her daughter was kidnapped and then killed by some suspects along with her son-in-law.

She demanded immediate arrest of the ASI and a thorough probe into the double murder.

Local leader of Pakistan Peoples Party Samtra Manjiani termed the incident a cold-blood murder of two close relatives and demanded immediate arrest of the ASI, who according to her, was prime suspect in the case.

She outright rejected the claim that the pair had committed suicide and warned she would stage protest if proper investigation was not carried out by Tharparkar police into the incident.

Mithi SHO Mohammad Khan Zaunr said that police had found two suicide notes by the victims that read that they were going to commit suicide and they were forced to take the extreme step as they had got sick of the “unjust society”.

Doongar also requested his parents to treat his wife and children humanely, he said quoting from the notes.

Zaunr already declared the pair’s deaths as suicide and said that still, he had summoned the ASI to police station for questioning.

“We are investigating the incident from various angles as per demand of the victims’ heirs,” he said.

Police had not so far lodged an FIR of the incident.

According to official figures collected from SSP office, as many as 69 women and 48 men committed suicide in different parts of Tharparkar district in 2020 due to various reasons.

In three incidents Hindu men and women jointly committed suicide after they were not allowed by their parents to contract free-will marriages.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2021