Kanpur woke up yesterday morning to news of a mass suicide by a family. Driven by poverty, Ram Vilas, an Army deserter, allegedly made his children, three sons and a daughter, and his wife eat poisoned sweets before he finally consumed it himself on Tuesday night.‘‘All the children, except the eldest one, were loyal to their father and did everything he asked them to do without even a whimper of protest,’’ says Ram Sajeevan Singh Chauhan, who owns the two-room house where Ram Vilas and his family stayed.Sources said Sunil, the 16-year-old son, wrote the suicide note and the father signed on it after which he gave them the poisoned sweets before consuming it himself. Ram Vilas, his wife, son and three daughters — Seema (22), Renu (20) and Sonu (18) — were found dead yesterday morning in their house. Their bodies had gone black under the impact of the poison. The police have sealed the house after the incident.‘‘I am not in a position to get my three daughters married off because of financial constraints. My eldest son has left us and now I have no money to feed my family. Left with no option, I am taking this extreme step with my family,’’ said the suicide note signed by Ram Vilas, an Army deserter who could not get any benefits, including pension, from service because he failed to report back to duty during the war in 1971. Ram Vilas had been driving a tempo for a living but it was confiscated by the RTO two months ago for violating norms.Neighbours said they had no knowledge about the family’s financial problems. ‘‘Ram Vilas never told me about the financial condition of his family,’’ said Pramod Agnihotri, a neighbour.Anil, who left three months ago following a row with his father, rushed home after hearing the news. ‘‘I didn’t know things would reach such a stage. When I left in January, our financial position was not so bad,’’ he said.The Sri Guru Singh Sabha arranged vehicles for carrying the bodies and purchased wood for the funeral. ‘‘We are doing it on humanitarian ground. Nobody will come to the help of the family at this stage,’’ Harvindar Singh Laad, president of the Sabha, told The Indian Express. Congress MLA from Govindnagar Ajay Kapoor has given Rs 11,000 to Anil as financial assistance.
