Three Bhopal family members kill themselves, allege harassment by pawn shops

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Three members of a Bhopal family who consumed poison in an alleged suicide pact have died. A 19-year-old girl was the third to die today after the death on Friday of two of the five family members, including a 65-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl.

The five family members of Sanjeev Joshi, an auto parts trader residing in the town of Anand Nagar in Bhopal, had consumed poison together Thursday evening when they were allegedly harassed by private lenders.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken a tough stance on the incident and has taken tough action against illegal pawn shops who seek high interest rates and harass debtors who fail to make their payments on time.

The Chief Minister held a meeting of senior officers at CM House this morning and asked them to closely monitor the activities of illegal money lenders. He also discussed the provisions of the Lenders Act and the Scheduled Castes Lending Regulations.

Chouhan called the incident of a mass suicide attempt “heartbreaking and intolerable.”

The Joshi family of five – Sanjeev Joshi, 47, his wife Archana, 45, his mother Nandini, 67 (former teacher) and two teenage daughters Grishma, 19 (BTech student) and Poorvi, 16 (student in class 10) – consumed rat poison Thursday evening, according to police sources. Sanjeev and Archana are hospitalized and in serious condition while Nandini, Poorvi and Grishma have died.

Sanjeev and Grishma had previously shared photographs and notes with friends and family, detailing the reasons for their extreme walk. The family also scribbled notes on the walls of their home, naming a group of women and others who harassed them every day for higher interest despite repaying loans.

These loan sharks would also have insulted them in front of their neighbors and other acquaintances. The family reportedly made a deal to sell their house and land, but pawn shops continued to harass them for advance payments, law enforcement sources said citing the family’s suicide notes.

Based on these notes and the initial statements of Sanjeev and Archana Joshi, the Piplani police recorded cases of aiding and abetting suicide against the defendants named Rani, Babli, Kamla and Urmila. Arrests are expected soon, police said.

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