Teen sisters found hanging from tree

It was a horrid sight for the farmers going out in the field at dusk to found two young women hanging on separate branches of a tree in the poverty-hit desert district of Nangarparkar on Wednesday.

It is not unusual for people to commit suicide in the sand-swept region plagued with oppression of landlords, moneylenders and almost everyone who exercises some sort of force.

However, the family of 18-year-old Nilan Jodhu Kohli and 16-year-old Marwan Jodhu Kohli in Radako village told the police they did not know why the girls committed the joint-suicide.

They were engaged to their respective fiancées and waiting for the marriage in coming months, their mother told the police, unwilling to share any further detail.

A squad of Nangarparkar police removed the bodies from the tree, and transported them to the Nangarparkar Taluka Hospital for post-mortem examination. The bodies were later handed over to their relatives.

According to ASI Patu Mal, the girls had left their home late at night, and their bodies were discovered hanging from a tree the following morning.

The girls' father was not at home that night, but their mother was present and did not provide a reason for the suicides to the police.

Suicide incidents are unfortunately common in Tharparkar, yet no government or social organisation has addressed these incidents effectively.