Bengal: Farmer, four of his family found dead

Police said they have come to know the farmer was diagnosed with cancer a few months back, and since then he had been suffering from depression. According to sources, the 33-year-old was tense about his treatment expenses. He recently went to Chennai for treatment after borrowing money from others. Sources said Barman was finding it tough to run his family as he was the sole earner, and had recently sold a piece of land to fund his treatment.

“The farmer was found hanging by the neck. His mother, wife and two daughters had deep head injuries caused by some sharp weapon. Prima facie, circumstantial evidence suggests that the man killed all of them and then committed suicide,” said Dakshin Dinajpur SP Debarshi Dutta.

However, Barman’s neighbours cast doubt on the police’s claim, saying he had been weak for the past few months.