PATNA: Blinded by rage over his wife's delay in cooking mutton for him, a man in Bihar killed his four-year-old daughter by slamming her on the floor.
Residents of Fakirtoli village, under Amaur police station of Purnea district, were shocked by what Shambhu Lal Sharma, 40, did to his only child on Wednesday. He himself took the child, Shalu Kumari, to the Amour referral hospital, where she was declared brought dead. Sharma was arrested a few hours after his daughter died.
"The accused flew into a rage during an argument with his wife, Rajkumari Devi, about the delay in cooking mutton curry for him. He caught hold of his four-year-old daughter, who was playing near him, and, grabbing her by the neck, he slammed her repeatedly on the floor," Pankaj Kumar, the station house officer (SHO) of Amaur police station, said.
Although the shocking act took place in front of Rajkumari's eyes, she could hardly do anything as she was too scared. Sharma, who works at a factory in Surat in Gujarat and had come to his home for the Chhath festival, was known to be a wife beater in the village, a police officer said.
"As the child lay unconscious after the attack, Sharma rushed her to the hospital. However, the child was dead by the time he reached the hospital. Sharma fled the hospital on learning of her death, but was arrested within a few hours," the SHO said.
Rajkumari told police that Sharma was "fond of mutton and liquor" and would spend a lot on having a grand meal and drinks. He would often beat her up mercilessly when she protested and asked him to cut down on his expense on mutton and liquor.
The couple had married seven years ago, and Shalu Kumari, who used to live with her mother, was their only child.