Woman, 7‑year‑old son die in suspected poisoning; younger child critical

Lucknow: A 30-year-old woman and her seven-year-old son died under suspicious circumstances in Deoria on Tuesday evening, while her another son (6) remains critical, police said.The incident occurred in Mehra Purwa locality, where Nirala Vishwakarma, a furniture shop worker, lived with his wife Anjali (30) and their two sons—Shambhu alias Krishna (7) and Kashi alias Kanha (6). Both children were reportedly hearing and speech impaired.According to police, Anjali and the two kids suddenly fell ill on Tuesday. Nirala rushed them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared Anjali and Shambhu dead. The younger child was admitted to the ICU in a critical condition. He was later shifted to Gorakhpur medical college for advanced treatment.Police said the bodies have been sent for postmortem, while a forensic team visited the house and collected samples for analysis. Police have taken Nirala into custody for questioning.Superintendent of police, Abhijeet R Shankar, said: “Preliminary inquiry suggests that the couple had a marital discord. Anjali wanted to visit her parental home, but Nirala was opposed to it. There was also a prior dowry harassment case against him.”Investigators suspect that following the dispute, Anjali may have consumed a poisonous substance after allegedly administering it to her children.Anjali’s brother, Harikesh Vishwakarma, has alleged foul play and accused Nirala of murdering his sister and nephew in an FIR.Police said all angles — including poisoning, domestic dispute and possible foul play — are being examined. The exact cause of death will be determined after postmortem and forensic reports are received.