The bodies of an assistant sub-inspector with the Government Railway Police and his seven-year-old daughter were found hanging at their home in Uttar Bishnupur village of Nadia on Friday afternoon.

Police, after a preliminary probe, said deceased GRP ASI Jayanta Sardar, 37, who was posted at Dumdum railway station, had committed suicide after killing his daughter Riya, a Class III student, apparently over a rift with his wife.

Sources said the police found a post on the ASI’s Facebook wall put up a little before the deaths in which he has written “Sorry...”, which indicated he had killed himself.

Around 2pm on Friday, family members broke open the door of Jayanta’s bedroom to find the lifeless bodies of the father and child hanging from the ceiling fan.

Chakdah police began a case of unnatural death. The bodies have been sent for autopsy to the JNM Hospital and College of Medicine in Kalyani.

Family members and local residents said that the ASI was married for the past 10 years to Moushumi Sardar of Eruli near Ranaghat. But the couple’s relationship had deteriorated recently as Jayanta suspected his wife of having extramarital relationship.

Rathin Ghosh, a relative and neighbour, said Jayanta was like his son..

“He was mentally depressed for some time because of his wife. They used to fight too often and we had tried to persuade his wife Moushumi to mend their relationship for the sake of their daughter. But she did not pay heed to our advice.”

Family members claimed on Friday, Moushumi left her in-law's house around 7am for an unknown destination. At about 12pm, Jayanta returned home and was upset at not finding her at home. A few minutes later he went inside his bedroom taking daughter Rita with him.

"There was nothing unusual. His elder brother's wife later called them for lunch. But finding no response from inside, family members became suspicious when they broke the door and found Jayanta and Riya hanging. Local residents brought down the bodies to take them to the hospital, but they had died by then," a relative of the deceased ASI said.