By Hasan Hadi
Dehradun, 27 May: A heartbreaking incident has come to light from Panchkula, Haryana, where seven members of a family died by suicide on Monday night. The family had links to Dehradun in the past. The police believe financial problems and mental stress may have led to this tragic step.
The deceased have been identified as Praveen Mittal, his wife Reena, their three children — twin daughters Dhruvika and Dalisha (11), and son Hardik (14) — along with Praveen’s parents, Deshraj and Vimla. All of them were found in an unconscious state inside a Hyundai car parked near a vacant plot. They were later declared dead at the hospital. The police say the cause of death appears to be poisoning.
“Praveen Mittal had been living with his family in Kaulagarh, Dehradun, on rent about years ago. The family originally belonged to the Chandigarh region and was not living in Dehradun at the time of the incident,” said Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh.
Police also found a vehicle at the scene, which was registered in the name of Gambhir Singh Negi, a resident of Maldevta, Dehradun. During questioning, Negi told the police that he had met Praveen Mittal during NGO-related work. Mittal had previously run an NGO named Child Life Care Mission. Due to their friendship, Negi helped finance the vehicle in his own name, which Mittal was using.
According to Rajkumari Nautiyal, a neighbor of Praveen Mittal when he lived in Dehradun, the family was quite simple. His mother was frequently ill. Praveen Mittal had a love marriage, and the neighbors never witnessed any quarrels or disputes between the couple. They had three children – Hardik, Durvika, and Dolisia – who studied at Blooming Buds School in Dehradun.
His father-in-law ran a shop near Tapkeshwar Temple. Praveen had shifted to Chandigarh with his father-in-law about a year ago for work. Before that, he lived in Kolkata for three years and then moved to Chandigarh. However, the neighbors denied having any knowledge about the family being burdened with debt.
Police recovered a two-page note from the car. In the note, Praveen wrote that he had gone bankrupt and took full responsibility for the incident. He also requested that his father-in-law not be blamed and asked his cousin to perform the last rites.
During the investigation, Praveen’s father-in-law, Rakesh Gupta, told the police that he had not spoken to Praveen for the past 10 years. He said Praveen had taken a loan of around Rs 1 crore, which he couldn’t repay. He added that Praveen and his family were living in a rented house in Mansa Devi Complex for the last few months. He also supported his daughter Reena financially.
Praveen’s sister-in-law, Rakhi Gupta, told the police that a bank had declared Praveen a proclaimed offender due to the unpaid loan. A few months ago, the couple had admitted their children to a school in Chandigarh.
Praveen’s cousin, Sandeep Aggarwal, said Praveen used to run a scrap-material factory when he first moved to Panchkula 12 years ago. Later, he shifted to Dehradun, where he started a tours and travel business. Unfortunately, he suffered heavy losses. Recently, he returned to Panchkula and was trying to run a taxi business, but was under heavy debt.
