Asha Bhosle's daughter commits suicide

Varsha Bhosle, daughter of well-known playback singer Asha Bhosle, committed suicide at their Peddar Road residence here Monday, police said. She was 56.

According to police, Varsha shot herself in the head twice at around 12:30 p.m. Monday. Officials said she shot herself with a licensed weapon. However, they said facts will have to be verified.

Even as police were investigating the matter, they have not found anything that might ascertain the cause of the suicide. No suicide note has been found yet. However, initial investigation points to depression as the main cause of her suicide. Her body has been sent for post-mortem.

Varsha lived in Prabhu Kunj building with her mother in the Peddar Road locality in south Mumbai. A flat in the building is also occupied by Asha's elder sister and singing legend Lata Mangeshkar.

Varsha, who used to work as a freelance journalist, was divorced from sports journalist Hemant Kenkre. She wrote columns for the web portal Rediff.com, The Sunday Observer and the Gentleman magazine, among other freelancing projects.

She has also been a playback singer for some Hindi and Marathi movies and performed in a few concerts alongside her mother.

She was depressed for many years and had also tried to commit suicide in 2008 and 2010 by consuming heavy doses of sleeping pills. She was immediately taken to hospital.

Varsha mostly stayed with her mother Asha, who was attending a function in Singapore when the incident occurred.