Although family members claim that the fire was caused by a short-circuit, the police suspect that this may have been an attempted suicide by the parents who tried to kill the children as well.

The family of Mansukh Mehta was brought to Gandhi Hospital in Surendranagar early on Tuesday morning. His wife Harsha (45) succumbed to her injuries. Mehta himself is in critical condition. Four of their children have also been hospitalised, one of them in a serious condition.

According to police, Mansukh (50) worked as labourer. As a Brahmin, he also performed rituals in the village, but that was not enough to make ends meet. Besides, his wife fell ill regularly and large sums of money were spent for her treatment. They had four children - Dharmendra (16), Vishal (14), Krishna (10) and Sanjay (8).

Police sub-inspector H Sadiya said that no suicide note was found, but there were tell-tale signs in the house. A five -litre can of kerosene was recovered from the house. Forensic experts say it is likely that one of the parents may have poured kerosene on the children and set them on fire. They may have later poured kerosene on themselves.

Courtesy By : The Times Of India