Father throws two sons into river, another poisons daughter
Ayodhya (PTI): In a heart-rending incident, a man, driven by abject poverty, threw his two sons into Saryu river in this holy city and was prevented by locals when he tried to push the third one into the swirling waters.
Sanjay Sahu, who was handed over to police, said he wanted to snuff out his own life after throwing all his three children into the river.
"I have no choice. I have no money. I was desperate to throw all my children into the river," he said.
The incident happened on Tuesday night, Additional SP (Faizabad) B P Tripathi said adding rescue operations were on to trace the two children -- Utkarsh and Jeetu.
An eye-witnesses said "I saw him (Sahu) throwing one of his children into the river. I ran towards him and tried to stop him from pushing the second one. But he, somehow, managed."
Soon others charged towards him and were able to stop him from throwing his third child into the river, he said.
Sahu's wife told police that her husband used to earn a meagre income by selling kites and the family was on the verge of starvation.
An FIR had been registered in connection with the incident, the ASP said.
In another incident in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, acute poverty drove a father to allegedly poison his one-year-old daughter.
Ali Hasan, a resident of Purbaliyan village, and her second daughter aged three, who also allegedly swallowed poison on Tuesday, were battling for their lives in hospital, police said.
Regional
