A 49-year-old medical store owner who was reportedly distressed over his daughter "marrying against family's wishes" has died by suicide late Wednesday night in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior.
The man, identified as Rishiraj alias Sanju Jaiswal, was found dead in his bedroom by family members after they heard a gunshot around 1 am. The bullet had struck his temple, and he was declared dead on the spot.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police Krishna Lalchandani, Rishiraj's daughter had left home about 15 days ago with a young man from the neighbourhood. She was later traced to Indore and brought back. During a subsequent court hearing, the daughter said she was legally married and chose to go with her husband.
Police said Rishiraj left behind a note, written on a printout of his daughter's Aadhaar card, in which he expressed emotional distress over her decision to marry against the family's wishes.
In the note, he reportedly wrote: "Harshita, you did wrong, I am leaving. I could have killed both of you, but how could I kill my daughter?"
The letter also contained personal views on parental rights and legal processes involving adult children, which are now part of the police investigation.
"Daughter, what you did was not right... And the lawyer who sacrifices an entire family for some money - doesn't he have daughters too? Doesn't he understand the pain of a father? One whole family has been destroyed, and now there's nothing left in society."
In the note, he further questioned the legal process, saying: "I say again, if a marriage under Arya Samaj is not valid, how can the court allow the girl to go with him (her partner)? This has destroyed our entire family. No one understood my pain."
Additional Superintendent of Police Niranjan Sharma said, "This is a deeply tragic incident. Senior officers have visited the site. The adult girl had married a man from a different community. The father has reportedly been depressed for a few days. The suicide note reflects these concerns."
Rishiraj operated Babu Medical Store in the Naka Chandrabadni area and lived near the Bhairo Baba temple. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
The police said he appeared to be disturbed in the days leading up to the incident.
Forensic teams visited the site on Thursday to assist with the investigation.
Following the suicide, tensions escalated in the neighbourhood.
Relatives of the deceased allegedly assaulted the father of the young man who had married Rishiraj's daughter. Witnesses claim he was dragged out of his home and beaten until he fell unconscious. Bystanders intervened and rushed the injured man to a nearby hospital.
The police have registered a case and are investigating both the suicide and the subsequent assault. Authorities are also examining the deceased's phone for further clues and have appealed for calm in the locality.
