Ration shop owner ends life; probe on

Kanpur: A ration shop owner committed suicide under mysterious conditions. Mahendra Kumar, who owned the shop, used his licensed firearm to shoot himself. His family members rushed him to a private hospital but due to his severe condition, the doctors referred him to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The incident took place in Bilhan village falling under the limits of Shivrajpur police station of the district.Mahendra Kumar Awasthi, 74, a resident of Bilhan village in the Shivrajpur police station area, was a farmer, and also ran the village's govt ration shop. Of his two sons, the elder, Chandraprakash Singh, works in a private company, and the younger, Suryaprakash, runs a jewellery shop in Jajmau.The younger son, Suryaprakash, said that after a late dinner on Friday, they went to sleep in their room. On Saturday morning, a gunshot was heard from their room. Upon reaching the spot, they found his father's body lying on the ground, in blood.The police and forensic team arrived at the scene, conducted a thorough investigation, and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. According to the family, the deceased's younger brother, Ravi Prakash Awasthi, is suffering from cancer and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. His only son had passed away. Seeing his brother's broken family and health condition, he was under mental stress and would often talk about various things. It is believed that this distress led him to take such an action.According to station officer Arvind Kumar Sisodia, it appears to be a case of suicide. "The matter is under investigation, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.," the police official sfurther aid.