Harassment by in-laws, poverty pushes Amravati woman to kill baby girl

Amravati (Maharashtra): Driven by abject poverty and alleged harassment by her mother-in-law for delivering a baby girl for the second time, a 23-year-old woman killed her one-month-old daughter by throwing her into an earthen stove, police said on Wednesday.

The heart-rending incident, which took place on January 3 at Gaurkheda Kumbhi village came to light the next day following which accused--Nikita Wakode--was arrested yesterday, Police Inspector Kiran Wankhede, of Parathwada police station said.

Nikita's father was present in the house at the time of the incident. The half-burnt body of the new-born girl was found wrapped inside an old trouser from the village near Bichen river by some local women when they went to answer nature's call.

Soon after getting information police reached the spot and had registered a case under section 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence, giving false information to screen offender) against unidentified persons.

According to police, on being quizzed, accused Nikita came clean on the crime and also said that poor financial condition of her family drove her to kill her daughter as upbringing of a second girl would have been an uphill task. "She said her mother-in-law was harassing her for delivering a second girl child. She also faced perennial poverty at home," the officer said.

"So when her husband was out to attend a religious programme at Lakhanwadi and when mother-in-law too had gone out to fetch firewood, she committed the crime even as her father was sitting outside the house," the officer added.