Teacher dies of Covid-19, wife jumps before train with two minor daughters

A woman in Bengal’s Siliguri town tried to commit suicide by jumping before a train with her two minor daughters, hours after her husband, a school teacher, died of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The woman suffered brain hemorrhage. One arm of her elder daughter, a five-year-old, had to be amputated while the younger daughter, aged 18 months, lost a leg and an arm, said a nephew of the dead teacher.

The woman and her children are admitted in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

The 36-year-old primary school teacher was admitted to Siliguri district hospital last Thursday with fever and cough.

“His swab sample was collected on Friday and the report came on Monday. By then he was already on ventilation. The doctors said he cannot be shifted to a dedicated Covid hospital in that condition. He died at 1.35 am on Tuesday,” said Ambuj Kumar Ray, the headmaster of the school.

Around 11 am, after the administration had put up a barricade in front of the teacher’s house to mark it as a containment zone, his wife left the building with her daughters and went to New Jalpaiguri railway station. She jumped in front of a train in platform No 3, said people who were present at the spot.

Since no suicide note was found, the reason behind the attempt could not be ascertained.

Kunwar Bhusan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Siliguri West, said, “According to the doctors, the woman and the children are stable.”

On Tuesday, the number of Covid-19 cases in Darjeeling district stood at 647 and most of the positive cases were reported in Siliguri. The death toll in Siliguri corporation area was 22 till Monday.

https://www.hindustantimes.com