A suspected joint suicide has shocked residents of Tripura’s Khowai district after the bodies of a married woman and an unmarried man were found hanging from the same tree inside a rubber plantation. The incident took place at Nadiachan Para in Kunjaban village under the jurisdiction of Kalyanpur Police Station and has left the local community in deep mourning.
The deceased are Haridas Paul (30), son of Bhulu Paul, and Papiya Shil Paul (32), wife of Jiban Paul. Both were residents of Kunjaban village.
According to police, the bodies were found hanging from the same tree using a nylon net during the intervening night of June 30 and July 1, 2026. Residents discovered the bodies on Wednesday morning and immediately informed the police.
A team from Kalyanpur Police Station, led by Sub-Inspector Anjan Debbarma, arrived on the scene and started a preliminary investigation. Senior officers, including Additional Superintendent of Police (Khowai) Justin Joseph and Officer-in-Charge Ashish Sarkar, later visited the location to monitor the investigation.
After the legal documents were approved, police retrieved the bodies for post-mortem examination. Police have registered an Unnatural Death (UD) case and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The initial inquiry of the investigators heard from some residents that Haridas Paul and Papiya Shil Paul were in a romantic relationship, according to them. The alleged relationship had become a source of tension between the two families, which was causing them disputes, they said.
But police have said both families deny any such relationship exists. So far, investigators are looking at the possibility of social or family pressure behind the incident, but no conclusions have been drawn, and all angles are being considered, officials said.
Papiya Shil Paul was married and is survived by her husband, who is a tom-tom driver, and their two children—a son and a daughter. Haridas Paul was unmarried and earned his livelihood as a mason.
Police are investigating the backgrounds of both the deceased individuals, their mobile phone records, and other evidence to reconstruct the events leading up to their deaths, sources said. Forensic evidence and the post-mortem report will be the most important for determining the cause and manner of death, officials said.
Police have also warned people that speculation or disseminating unverified information on social media while the investigation is still ongoing is not OK. The investigation is being taken very seriously, and the evidence is still being examined and is being considered critically, police said.
The tragic deaths have sent shockwaves through Kunjaban village, where residents found the news so devastating. People at the site, after learning of the discovery, were so sad that they wanted to cry.
A suspected case of joint suicide has sent shockwaves through Tripura's Khowai district after the bodies of a married woman and an unmarried man were found hanging from the same tree inside a rubber plantation at Nadiachan Para in Kunjaban village under Kalyanpur Police Station.… pic.twitter.com/9DnzLVyCWh
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Investigators will rely on post-mortem findings, forensic evidence, witness statements, and digital records to establish the sequence of events. Police are considering the matter as a suspected joint suicide at this point and are in a waiting frame of mind.
