Krishnagar, Jan. 5: A postgraduate student on whose income from private tuition his parents depended killed himself last night after being unable to provide money for medicines to his father.

Panchugopal Biswas used to travel to Burdwan University from Nadia’s Krishnagunj — about 70 km away — to study English literature. He taught students on his way back and at home, earning Rs 2,000 a month.

He had Rs 3 in his pocket last evening when father Tentul, who was suffering from a bronchial infection, asked for Rs 1,000 to consult a specialist and buy medicines.

“It was only the beginning of the month and he was yet to get the Rs 2,000 he earned from his private tuition. His father, however, became angry and scolded him for being unable to look after his parents’ needs,” said an officer of the Krishnagunj police station, about 120 km from Calcutta.

Tentul, 65, apparently told his son that “he would have killed himself had he been in his shoes”.

A farmer, he had become bankrupt while getting his four daughters married. He sold off his last piece of what was originally a five-bigha plot during the marriage of the youngest two years ago.

After being snubbed by his father, Panchugopal, 23, went into his room without having dinner.

He had returned after his daily toil only minutes before his father began his tirade around 10.30 last night.

This morning, when mother Ranibala, 60, went to wake him up, there was no response after repeated kno-cks on the door. Neighbours broke it open. Panchugopal was hanging from the ceiling.

A note said: “Baba, believe me, I did not have the money you asked for. I have a paltry amount in my bank account in Burdwan. Some of my poor friends borrowed money from me and I can’t ask them to repay immediately because they will not be able to. Please forgive me....”

Neighbours said Panchugopal passed both his Madhyamik and higher secondary examinations with with first-division marks.

As a child, he worked in tea stalls and local stores to make sure he could continue with school and his parents couldn’t complain about their only son.

“You can’t imagine how a boy could take the burden of running his family from the age of 13. As the father went on selling his land for his daughters’ marriage, the boy slogged at tea stalls and grocery shops,” said Sukhomoy Ghosh, a neighbour.