A pall of gloom descended on Orda-Candolim on Saturday evening when two children of a family were found dead inside their house, and the father's body hanging from a nearby tree the following morning. This was one of the worst spine-chilling cases that Goa has witnessed in recent times, where a family feud resulted in a horrific tragedy.
It is learnt that there were visible signs of unrest between the husband and wife — Joy Fernandes and Irene. The fact that the husband skipped the nuptials of the neighbourhood wedding and the reception, where he was supposed to raise a toast later in the evening, were signs that all was not well in the family.
The man is believed to have murdered his two children — a 13-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy by strangulation, somewhere between 3 pm and 5 pm when the wife had left for the church to attend the nuptials. On paper, it appears to be a straightforward murder arising out of a family dispute. However, there are several questions that remain unanswered, giving an indication that there could be more than what meets the eye.
The lady returned to the house at around 5 pm but remained put on the balcony of the house till 10 pm. The assumption that children are at Catechism classes should have been lost sooner, and since there was no contact with any member of the family, there should have been a certain level of panic raised much earlier.
Secondly, in the husband-wife tussle, what prompted the murder of the children needs to be probed. The police found the children dead on a bed but did not find the man in the house. With the father being the prime suspect, since he was the only other member in the house during the time, police should have launched a massive manhunt. There was a strong reason to go after the man since he was disconnecting frantic calls made by concerned neighbours to reach him earlier in the evening. The body of Joy was found hanging from a tree by a neighbour the following morning.
The post-mortem reports have mentioned the death of children was due to "asphyxia as a result of strangulation by ligature" and Joy's death as "asphyxia and cerebral venous as a result of hanging by ligature". The police have a job cut out to find the motive and the nature of the family feud that could have triggered such drastic action.
Goa has seen increasing cases of family clashes involving violence and physical assaults, some resulting in deaths. The pandemic phase has been the worst, with families witnessing a spate of incidents involving physical violence, abuse and sexual assaults over various issues, including money and property.
Sadly, Goa does not have a readily accessible redressal system which victims of abuse and violence can seek remedy from. There is a failure to counsel individuals who are facing the horrors of life, and distressed citizens are left at their mercy to find a way out. Mental health counselling is a crucial aspect of day-to-day living but is given stepmotherly treatment in Goa.
The gruesome Candolim murder must be an eye-opener for the government and the police. Emotional well-being and mental health are subjects that need to be looked at seriously, as the graph of domestic violence shows an upward trajectory.
