7 family members found dead in south India

Seven members of a family were found dead Friday in the southern Indian state of Telangana, police said.

The bodies were found inside a poultry farm in the morning at Rajapet near Bhongir in Yadadri-Bhuvanagir, about 61 km east of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.

"This morning we found seven members of a family dead at a poultry farm here," a police official posted at Bhongir told Xinhua. "A case has been registered and investigations ordered to ascertain the cause of death."

Police said they have sent bodies for post-mortem analysis.

Officials said the victims were working as labourers in the poultry farm belonging to a local farmer.

"The deceased include a couple, their daughter, two sons, and the wife's parents," the police official said. "The bodies were found in two rooms at the farm."

Reports said an initial investigation suggested that the family ate biryani (rice cooked with meat) mixed with pesticide found at the poultry farm.

"We are looking at all the possible angles including suicide to unravel the reason behind these deaths," the police official said.

Sometimes Indian farmers would commit suicides to rid their families of debts and bank loans.

Agriculture has suffered a huge setback in recent years in India due to unfavourable weather conditions of drought and flooding.

Climate change has caused more than 59,000 suicides in India over the past three decades, a research study published this year by the University of California, Berkeley said.

With Indian farming in crisis, people associated with it are forced to look for other means of livelihood.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)