"Her injuries were grave"
An Indian man ruthlessly attacked his pregnant wife with a sickle in her abdomen after fearing the birth of another baby girl.
In an intoxicated state, Pannalal reportedly attacked his wife, Anita Devi, who was four months pregnant. He was allegedly told by a priest that “their sixth child would also be a girl.”
The horrific incident occurred in the Civil Lines area on Saturday, 19 September 2020.
According to a police report, 43-year-old labourer, Pannalal returned home in an inebriated state. As a result of this, he began arguing with Anita, 40.
He demanded that she abort their baby over fears of having another girl child. The couple is already parents to five young daughters.
However, Anita’s refusal to abort their unborn child led Pannalal to attack her with a sickle in her abdomen.
Arriving at the scene of the crime, a neighbour rushed Anita to the district hospital.
Dr Rajesh Kumar Verma, emergency medical officer at the district hospital, revealed the critical condition Anita was left in. He said:
“A woman with multiple injuries on her stomach and chest was brought to the hospital. Her injuries were grave and possibly caused by a sharp-edged weapon.
“We have referred her to a higher medical facility given her critical condition.”
Ravi Kumar, Anita’s younger brother explained that his sister suffered from domestic abuse. He revealed:
“My brother-in-law used to beat up my sister often for giving birth to five daughters.”
He continued to mention that despite efforts from his parents to help resolve the matter, the unthinkable happened. He said:
“Even my parents tried to resolve the problem, but no one had ever imagined that he would take such a cruel step.”
Sudhakar Pandey of Civil Lines Police Station confirmed that Pannalal is currently being questioned. He said:
“We have detained the accused and he is being questioned.”
He further added that the police is waiting for Anita’s family to file an official complaint against the accused.
Anita Devi is undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Bareilly. Her condition is stated to be quite critical. As of yet, there has been no confirmation about the wellbeing of the unborn child.
In South Asian countries like India, the birth of a son is still favoured over the birth of a daughter. This has led to countless deaths of unborn baby girls.
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