'Quit relationship if...': Mother’s video on relationships surfaces after Maharashtra hill tragedy

A video posted by Sangita Chandgude just a day before she and two members of her family died in a horrific sequence of events at a hill in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has surfaced, adding another poignant detail to the tragedy.

Sangita, her 48-year-old husband Murlidhar Chandgude and their 18-year-old son Kunal died on Friday afternoon at Kohdya Dongar near Tisgaon. Police said the episode followed a family dispute reportedly involving instalment payments for a mobile phone purchased by Kunal.

On Thursday, Sangita had uploaded a short self-recorded video to her YouTube channel in which she spoke about relationships, love and the importance of being valued by those close to you.

Video posted a day before deaths

In the roughly one-minute Marathi video, Sangita advised viewers to invest emotionally in people who respect and value their affection. She suggested that continuing to make sacrifices for someone who did not appreciate them was futile.

Sangita regularly posted motivational content online, with relationships and family issues among the subjects she discussed. The timing of her final video has attracted attention after the deaths, though there is no established evidence that the message was directly connected to what unfolded the following day.

Other older videos involving Sangita and Kunal have also emerged. In one, the mother and son are seen having tea together, while another shows Kunal washing his mother’s feet and seeking her blessings.

Dispute preceded trip to hill

According to police accounts cited in reports, Kunal had purchased an iPhone and a dispute arose at home over money required to pay its instalments. Upset after the disagreement, he went to Kohdya Dongar on Friday morning.

His parents followed him to the hill, while local residents and others attempted for hours to persuade the teenager to move away from the edge. Video footage that subsequently emerged shows people repeatedly appealing to him to step back.

Tisgaon sarpanch Sanjay Jadhav was among those who tried to convince Kunal to return to safety. Reports said the teenager remained near the edge despite repeated attempts to calm him.

Three-hour effort ends in tragedy

After about three hours, Murlidhar climbed towards the spot where his son was standing and attempted to physically pull him away from the edge. During the attempt, both lost their balance and fell into the gorge, according to the account reported by NDTV.

Sangita also died in the incident. The three deaths left the local community in shock after hours of efforts to avert the tragedy.

Police sources have said Kunal had gone to the same location the previous year during an earlier crisis, when officers were able to counsel him and bring him down safely.

Police examine circumstances

The emergence of Sangita’s videos has added to public discussion surrounding the family’s deaths, but investigators are examining the circumstances and events preceding the incident rather than drawing conclusions from social-media posts alone.

Reports from Maharashtra said police were looking into the family’s background, relationships and financial circumstances as part of their inquiry.

The case has also highlighted the devastating consequences that can follow moments of acute emotional distress. What apparently began as a domestic disagreement ended within hours with three members of one family dead, despite repeated attempts by relatives, villagers and others to prevent the situation from escalating.