Two of their children settled in Canada and one employed at a leading hospital in Ludhiana, yet a couple committed suicide and left behind a note pointing towards poverty and unhappiness.

The suicide note purportedly written by the couple, points towards their poverty and unhappiness and requests their children to not be blamed, but leaves more questions than answers.

Gurmeet Singh, 55, and his wife Narinder Kaur, also in her 50s, died by alleged suicide at their home in Pamal village of Ludhiana district, early on Wednesday.

In the two-page note, they wrote that they were taking the extreme step “on their own will” as they were “unhappy with their lives” and the police shouldn’t harass their children.

Ludhiana Rural Police’s DSP (Dakha) Karan Singh Sandhu said the note mentions Garibi ch jamme, garibi ch hi mar gaye (In poverty we were born and in poverty we died). “They asked their children to forgive them and apologised for not being able to support them any longer. They also requested no legal action against their kids,” he said, adding that the incident, however, leaves a lot of mystery.

Their elder son and daughter are settled in Canada, and the youngest son, who works as a ward attendant at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, lived with them.

Villagers said that the couple had sold their land, nearly 2-2.5 acres, to send their two children to Canada. “Soon after, Narinder slipped into depression and villagers said that Gurmeet spent a lot of money in her treatment. Despite doing everything possible, Narinder’s condition didn’t improve,” police said, adding that the medical condition and the subsequent financial crunch, coupled with their children being away may have forced the couple towards the extreme step.

DSP Sandhu said that their son Khushminder Singh, 22, who returned from his hospital duty around 3.30 am Wednesday, noticed the bodies. “He told us that both were lying unconscious,” he said, adding that it seems they took some poisonous substance.

Khushminder, while speaking to The Indian Express, said that he couldn’t believe that that his parents mentioned “poverty” in the suicide note.

“My mother was depressed for a long time and my father spent a lot of money on her treatment. They loved each other beyond words. Maybe my father could not see her suffer any longer. We siblings were all supporting them. In fact, we were planning to construct a new house for them. My siblings were to apply for my parents’ visitor’s visa to Canada in the winters,” he said.

He added that his elder brother would often video call and assure them about sending money. “My parents would often jokingly say that now it’s time for them to leave this world but we would tell them not to say such things,” he said.

Sub-inspector Gurcharan Singh from Jodhan police station, investigating officer in the case, said, “Prima facie, the couple was depressed. They had sold their land to send two children to Canada. They were living in a dilapidated, two-room house. However, we haven’t come across any evidence of the children ill-treating or harassing them. Villagers also said that the couple never mentioned that they were shared that they were ill-treated.”

DSP Sandhu said that the family requested no autopsy. “But since both were unnatural deaths, we got it done and handed over the bodies to the family for last rites. Inquest proceedings have been filed as the note mentioned that they do not want legal action against anyone,” said the DSP.

Pamal resident Rana said, “Gurmeet worked hard his entire life, first for his children, then for his wife’s treatment. Though the couple never shared anything with us about their relationship with their children but Gurmeet would often say that he wants to die and that life was not worth living.”