By Express News Service

JAGATSINGHPUR: Pushed to the brink of despair by acute poverty, a woman jumped into Devi river along with her seven-month-old daughter at Bachhalo within Naugaon police limits here on Tuesday night.

The woman was identified as Lipina Rout of Pokamola village under Bachhalo panchayat.

Lipina's family comprising her sick husband Arakhit Rout, father-in-law Bhagu Rout, mother-in-law and infant daughter Parimita, was struggling to make ends meet after exhausting all savings and financial resources on her husband’s treatment. They had spent lakhs of rupees on stomach surgery of her husband and had even borrowed money from neighbours.

According to neighbours, Lipina was under severe mental duress after supply of 20 kg rice under National Food Security Act (NFSA) scheme was stopped to her family last month for failure to link Aadhaar with their ration card.

While Arakhit, after gaining his health back, had recently moved to Gujarat to work in a private company, the burden of sustaining the entire family fell on her shoulders. She was facing a lot of hardships to feed the family members.

On Tuesday, Lipina along with her father-in-law had met the BDO of Naugaon over stoppage of NFSA rice and informed him that not a single member of her family had Aadhaar card.Moreover, though Bhagu and his wife were eligible for old age pension and housing facilities under Government schemes, they were deprived of the benefits.

Frustrated with life and in absence of husband Arakhit by her side at such difficult times, Lipina took the extreme step along with her daughter, said one of her neighbours.

Naugaon IIC Prangya Kar said police are yet to confirm the incident as there are no witness to the woman and her daughter jumping into the river. Basing on the complaint lodged by the woman’s father, a case has been registered and investigation is on, she added.

Meanwhile, Fire personnel and ODRAF team have been pressed into rescue operation. The woman and her daughter were yet to be traced.