Chennai woman arrested for killing girl child unwanted by her husband

Police said the woman feared that her husband would desert her as he had been picking up fights with her since the delivery of the second girl child a month ago.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

CHENNAI: A 25-year-old woman allegedly killed her newborn girl by banging its head on the floor since her husband censured her for giving birth to a girl child for the second time. Police said the woman feared that her husband would desert her as he had been picking up fights with her since the delivery of the second girl child a month ago.

Police said they arrested Celestine on Wednesday after the autopsy report showed that the child had died of severe head injuries on November 12, not because of mere breathlessness as Celestine had claimed.

Celestine was married to Sathyaraj, 32 a daily wager, and were living at Kasimedu along with their one-and-a-half-year-old girl. Already critical of her for having a girl child, it is said that Sathyaraj started picking up fights after the second child also turned out to be a girl.

"On November 12, when she was alone at home she allegedly banged the baby's head on the floor twice and the baby had difficulty in breathing. She informed her mother and they took the baby to a hospital where doctors found that the child had already succumbed," said a police officer involved in the investigations.

However, police were suspecting Celestine's theory since there were injury marks on the child's head. "However, we were waiting for the autopsy report and on Wednesday the report showed that the child died
of the head injuries," said the officer. On interrogation, the mother had confessed to have killed the child because of the pressure exerted by her husband.

She told police she decided to kill the child since her husband may desert her over the issue. Celestine has been remanded in judicial custody.

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The New Indian Express
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