Days before he was to appear for a divorce hearing, a constable in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu attacked his wife and six-year-old son with a sword and then died by suicide.
Rajkumar Kantiwal, a constable of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC), and his wife Kavita Devthia, working with the Panchayat Raj Department, had married seven years ago and were estranged since two years.
Posted in Sriganganagar, Rajkumar had come to Jhunjhunu on leave on August 16 and the couple were to appear for a divorce hearing on August 20. On August 18, when Rajkumar visited the flat where Kavita and their son live on rent, a fight broke out between the two. During this fight, he attacked the woman and child with a sword. Her screams alerted neighbours, but Rajkumar managed to run away before anyone arrived. They were both then rushed to the hospital. Kavita, whose finger was cut off and lost a lot of blood, was in a serious condition and referred to Jaipur for further treatment.
The couple's son suffered a deep wound in the neck.
About three hours after the incident, as police were searching for Rajkumar, they found his body on a railway track. While police investigation is underway, it is suspected that the man parked his car near an underpass and jumped in front of an approaching train.
An audio clip and video of Rajkumar, allegedly shot before he died by suicide, surfaced during investigation. He is heard saying that Kavita has an affair with a man from Haryana named Vikram and is pregnant with his child. He also accused Kavita of pressuring him for a divorce, adding that she and Vikram have been giving him death threats.
An agreement letter between the couple, dated July 12, stated terms, including that they will not bring their families and relatives into their fight. The hand-written agreement also mentioned that they will live on their own respective earnings and that Rajkumar will not disturb Vikram.
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