Sarpanch aspirant held for murdering daughter to bypass two-child norm

A Maharashtra man aspiring to contest panchayat elections allegedly killed his six-year-old daughter in Telangana to bypass the two-child eligibility norm. Police arrested him and the sitting Sarpanch, charging them with murder, kidnapping and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita

Hyderabad: A Maharashtra man, father of three children and aspiring to contest local body elections, allegedly killed his six-year-old daughter by throwing her into a canal in Telangana to become eligible for panchayat polls, police said on Monday.

Under Maharashtra’s law, those having more than two children are ineligible to contest local polls. The 28-year-old man, a resident of Kerur village in Mukhed taluka of Nanded district, bordering Telangana, travelled to Nizamabad district with his daughter on January 29 and threw her into a canal. Local residents, after noticing the girl’s body, informed the police.

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Police registered a case and formed three teams for investigation, Nizamabad Police Commissioner P Sai Chaitanya said. Residents from Mukhed identified the deceased girl after seeing her photo circulated by police. A team later visited the village and confirmed she belonged to Kerur.

Investigations revealed the man, who runs a salon in Mukhed, lived with his wife and three children (two daughters and a son). He planned to contest for the post of Sarpanch in the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections.

Since the two-child norm made him ineligible, the sitting Sarpanch suggested he give one child in adoption. The man tried to alter his son’s birth certificate at the Pune Corporation Office but failed.

He then allegedly hatched a plan to eliminate one of his children and report her missing. As part of the plan, he brought his daughter to Nizamabad and threw her into a canal, about 90 km from their village.

During investigation, police arrested the man and the sitting Sarpanch in connection with the incident. The case has been altered to include charges of murder, kidnapping and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).