Patna: In an incident stemming from a family feud, a 40-year-old woman allegedly mixed pesticide in the milk and fed it to her five children before consuming it herself in Bhagwanpur village under Banma Ithari police station area of Saharsa district on Sunday night.All six — Soni Devi and her children — were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The condition of her five-year-old twin sons remains critical, with both on ventilator support.According to police, the incident occurred around 8pm on Sunday when Soni, amid a heated argument with her mother-in-law over a property dispute, took the extreme step in a fit of rage. She mixed pesticide into milk and gave it to her children, Preeti Kumari (14), Rachna Kumari (12), Sapna Kumari (7), and the twin boys, Ram Kumar (5) and Lakhan Kumar (5). She then drank the milk herself.One of the children, writhing in pain, managed to open the door and alert the neighbours, who immediately shifted the entire family to Saharsa Sadar Hospital. After initial treatment, they were referred to a private hospital in Saharsa, where they were admitted around 2.30am on Monday.Dr Manas Kumar Jha of a private hospital said all six are undergoing treatment, but the twins continue to be in a very critical state and are on ventilator support.Soni Devi’s husband, a mason working in Delhi, was not at home at the time of the incident. He left for Saharsa upon receiving the news.SHO Kundan Kumar of Banma Ithari police station confirmed that a case of poisoning was reported from a private hospital. “Police received the information about the incident around 9am on Monday and started a probe into the matter to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident. A case will be registered based on the complaint of the woman. The FSL team was called to the spot to collect evidence. Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses,” he said.
