Man inflicts 63 stab wounds on wife, 31 on daughter, 30 on himself

NAGPUR: The nine members of the Shingnapure family of Jagruti Nagar had dined together before huddling in front of the TV set to enjoy a soap opera till Thursday midnight. They had little idea that a gory tragedy, more horrendous than the television drama, would shatter the family within the next three-and-a-half hours.
In the wee hours of Friday, the eldest son of the family stabbed his 34-year-old wife 63 times and his 12-year-old daughter 31 times before attempting to kill himself.The wife and daughter were fast asleep when the man attacked them.
Police investigations revealed that Prakash (38) stabbed his wife Pranita before turning on his daughter Shreya. Prakash was using a knife which the family generally used in the kitchen. Another unused knife was found hidden under the bed.
Prakash also stabbed himself more than 30 times and is fighting for life at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMC). Prakash was in his underwear when he perpetrated the murders.
Family sources said that the reason given by Prakash for the drastic step in his suicide note was discontentment with his economic condition. The introvert Prakash had written that he had been unable to provide sufficiently for the needs of his wife and daughter. However, the Shingnapure family said they were surprised by the reason furnished in the so-called last note penned in Marathi.
It was the shrill cries of Shreya that woke up her uncle Ajay. Prakash's parents - Vinayak and Pushpa - too were alarmed by the noise. It was the third son Anup who used a rod to break open the door, said police.
The family found Pranita and Shreya, both grievously injured with stab wounds, lying on the floor where they used to sleep. A profusely bleeding Prakash was lying beside them. The family members rushed the injured to hospitals before alerting the cops.
Prakash had urged in his suicide note that the family should not perform the traditional 13th day rites after his death, for which he held no one responsible. In a twist, Prakash also requested his family members to donate their bodies for medical studies rather than cremating them.
Pranita was a postgraduate in arts and had completed a course in fashion designing. She used to do tailoring work at a private organization. Prakash ran a grocery shop in the neighbourhood, and it was the only source of livelihood for him.
The incident was a rude shock for the Shingnapure family, whose members seem to be settled with no economic hassles. Patriarch Vinayak was a former railway employee. Prakash's younger brother Anup is posted as a constable at Nagpur headquarters of Government Railway Police (GRP). The other younger brothers too are employed at different private firms. While brother Manoj and his wife were settled in Akola, Ajay was employed with a mall in the city.
Police said the family members were clueless about the trigger that led to the brutal incident. The cops said that the family, friends and neighbours could not recall any discontentment or hatred that could have prompted Prakash.
"Pranita's family members too had never heard their daughter complain about her husband," said senior police inspector Rajendra Unawane of Jaripatka police station. The cops found Prakash's suicide note in his trouser pocket. "He himself told the cops that the suicide note was there," said Unawane.