Deogarh: In an unusual incident, a five-year-old boy spent the entire night alone in a forested area amid bone-chilling cold, guarding his dead father and unconscious mother before seeking help from others Sunday morning.
The incident took place in Odisha’s Deogarh district and came to the fore when the little boy was found on the road near the forest seeking help from the passersby.
His parents, Dushmant Majhi and Rinki Majhi, residents of Jianantapali village under the Kundheigola police station, had consumed pesticide over a domestic dispute while returning home on a bike, police said.
They parked the motorcycle by the roadside and walked about a kilometre into the forest, where they were all suspected of having consumed a poisonous substance, police said.
“While Dushmant died within an hour, his wife Rinki fell unconscious. The little son watched them lying on the ground. The boy all night guarded his parents all night and called the people by came to the road after sunrise, Deogarh Additional SP, Dhiraj Chopdar, told PTI over the phone.
The ASP said the woman also died later during treatment at Chhendipada hospital in neighbouring Angul district, but the child survived, though he was also given the pesticide by his parents.
“The child was in good health and handed over to his grandparents after preliminary treatment,” he said.
The ASP said an investigation was underway to ascertain the circumstances under which the couple disputed and why carrying pesticides while travelling on a bike.