Two sisters allegedly died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur hours before they were scheduled to get married in a double wedding ceremony on Saturday, with a relative alleging foul play behind the incident. The deceased have been identified as Shobha, 25, and Vimla, 23, daughters of Deep Singh. Both worked as teachers at a private school.
Preliminary investigation suggests the sisters may have died after consuming a poisonous substance. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received. “It would be premature to ascertain the reason for their deaths at this stage,” a police official said.
According to police, the women were rushed to a private hospital by family members after their health deteriorated in the early hours of Saturday. Doctors declared them dead upon arrival.
The family had begun preparations for the cremation when police received information about the incident, following which officers reached the spot and took the bodies into custody.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and were later handed back to the family, officials said.
Shobha and Vimla’s maternal uncle, Jaswant Singh, has blamed members from their father’s side of the family for the incident. He alleged that Deep Singh’s brothers had pressured the family into arranging marriage alliances for the sisters that had earlier fallen through.
He further claimed that the sisters took the extreme step due to pressure allegedly exerted by Deep Singh’s younger brother. Police said these allegations are being examined as part of the investigation.
A case of unnatural death has been registered, and further enquiry is underway.
