A teenager and his parents died after falling from a cliff in India following a three-hour standoff, sparked by a family argument over an unpaid instalment on an iPhone the teenager had bought, with police still working to establish the exact sequence of events that led to all three deaths.
A teenager and both his parents have died after plunging from a cliff in India, in a tragedy that began with a family argument over an iPhone purchase. Kunal Chandude, reported to be either 18 or 19 depending on the source, made his way to Khavda Hill in Tisgaon on Friday, reportedly intending to take his own life following a row with his father over an unpaid monthly instalment on the phone. For almost three hours, his parents, Murlidhar, 48, and Sangita, pleaded with him to step back from the cliff’s edge as he threatened to jump. All three ultimately fell to their deaths.
What sparked the argument
According to the Indian Express, Kunal had bought an expensive iPhone to be paid off in monthly instalments but found himself unable to keep up with the payments. When he asked his father, who worked as a driver, for money to cover the latest instalment, his parents refused, and an argument broke out between Kunal and Murlidhar.
Kunal made his way to the hill at around 10am, with his parents following closely behind him. The standoff continued for hours, with police, villagers and firefighters attempting to bring him safely down from the cliff edge. Fire personnel reportedly tried to position a safety net below the hill, but officials said Kunal kept moving along the cliff’s edge, making the operation difficult.
Pleas from those trying to save him
Among those attempting to talk Kunal down was Tisgaon sarpanch Sanjay Jadhav, who said rescuers repeatedly urged the teenager to think of his mother. In an apparent attempt to defuse the situation, Jadhav reportedly offered to buy Kunal an iPhone himself if he would step away from the edge. According to Jadhav, Kunal responded: “There is no solution now. There is only one solution.”
A separate account of the standoff describes onlookers telling Kunal to “live for your mother,” to which he is reported to have replied that death was his only option. Some more recent reports indicate that parts of the standoff were captured on phone cameras, with footage reportedly showing villagers and local officials pleading with Kunal in the moments before the tragedy.
How the fall happened
At around 1pm, Murlidhar attempted to grab hold of his son, but as he came close, Kunal jumped. Accounts of exactly what happened next differ. District Collector and Magistrate Vinay Gowda said: “The boy fell from the cliff and holding on to his father’s hand, pulled him down with him.” Other reports suggest instead that Murlidhar lost his balance while attempting to physically pull his son back from the edge, rather than being pulled down by Kunal.
Sangita reportedly witnessed her husband and son fall from the cliff edge. While earlier reports left it unclear whether her own fall was accidental or intentional, more recent reporting based on police and eyewitness accounts indicates that she jumped from the hill after watching Kunal and Murlidhar fall.
The investigation
Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar said investigators were still working to establish the exact sequence of events, indicating that the precise circumstances surrounding the final moments of the incident remain under investigation. Police have been recording witness statements and examining the circumstances that led to the three deaths.
Police identified the family as residents of the Zalta Phata area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, though another report indicated the family originally came from Dhangar Pimpalgaon village in Jalna district, where relatives later took the bodies for burial. A postmortem examination has since been completed, and the bodies have been returned to relatives.
This article discusses suicide. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised, support is available. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted free any time on 116 123.
