HOWRAH: Acute depression due to their son’s untimely death two and a half years ago and the ensuing financial crunch pushed an elderly couple from Mudiali in south Kolkata to enter into a suicide pact at a tourist lodge at Gadiara in Howrah on Friday evening. While 72-yearold Parag Pal Chowdhury died of an overdose of sleeping pills, his wife Tapasi is fighting for her life at a private hospital.The couple checked into a room at the tourist lodge on Wednesday and said they would stay till Friday. Around 5pm on Friday, Pal Chowdhury cleared all their bills, promising to leave in an hour. When they didn’t leave after 6pm, the lodge staff knocked on the door and looked in through the window. The couple were sprawled on the floor near the bathroom. Police from Shyampur broke the door down and rescued the two. Pal Chowdhury was declared brought dead at the Uluberia State General Hospital.After checking Pal Chowdhury’s mobile, the police called up his Delhi-based brother who flew down to Kolkata immediately. It was the brother who informed the police of what may have led to the couple’s suicide bid.Pal Chowdhury was a professor and the couple’s only son Pratik, an engineer, moved to Sidney in Australia and set up a consultancy firm. Pratik also started an automobile parts manufacturing unit there. He was married and had a son. According to family sources, Pratik would send money to his parents regularly and they lived at a large apartment in Patuli. In January 2016, Pratik passed away suddenly at the age of 43, shattering his parents.“What was worse is that they were unable to maintain touch with Pratik’s wife or their grandson. This led to acute depression. Their source of funds also dried up and the couple were forced to sell the apartment in Patuli and shift to a small flat that Tapasi owned in Mudiali. Before long, they faced financial constraints and my brother tried to work as an insurance agent. Having taught all his life, it wasn’t easy for my brother to go around requesting people to purchase a policy from him. He would often tell me how he craved to meet his grandson. I told him that his grandson would certainly get in touch once he grew up. I also urged them to stay with me in Delhi,” K Pal Chowdhury said.

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