11 of Pak Hindu migrant family found dead in Raj

Eleven members of a family of Pakistan Hindu migrants were found dead in a hut on the farm where they worked early on Sunday morning. The incident took place in Lodta village of Dechu tehsil of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district. One member was found alive outside the hut, but he claimed to have no idea about what had taken place at night. The deceased include 4 women, 2 men and 5 minors. The minors include 4 boys and a girl in the age of 5 to 17 years. The family belonged to the Bhil community.

A chemical odour was present in the hut and a suicide note was found. But it has come to light there was a dispute over the custody of children in the family and the police are exploring the possibility of murder. The family had taken the farm on rent to sow crops. Police will interrogate the lone surviving member to find out the exact cause of the death.

“A forensic team and dog squad has been called to help in the investigation. There are no injury marks on the bodies, but we are exploring all aspects of the case,” said SP Rural Rahul Barhat.

“It is a tragic incident. A suicide note was found but is written in Hindi; a language they do not know. The bodies were all stacked up close to each other in a small hut and some were covered in blankets, which is surprising in this hot weather. A syringe and grains of rice have been found buried near the hut. This was sniffed out by the police dog. I hope there is fair investigation,” said Hindu Singh Sodha, President Seemant Lok Sangathan, an organisation for the welfare of Pak Hindu migrants.

“1 of the family members is alive but he claims to have no idea about what happened at night,” added Barhat.

The incident has taken place in the CM’s home tur f, who has ordered a probe. The bodies were sent for postmortem.