Maharashtra: Man Kills 6-Year-Old Daughter To Contest Panchayat Elections
A Maharashtra man allegedly killed his daughter to meet the two-child rule for Panchayat elections, but was later arrested along with his accomplice.
A shocking incident has come to light from Maharashtra, where a 28-year-old man allegedly killed his own daughter in an attempt to become eligible to contest the upcoming Panchayat elections.
The accused, Pandurang Kondmangale, is a resident of Kerur village in Nanded district. He runs a barber shop in his village and wants to contest the local body elections. However, he was not eligible because he had three children — a three-year-old son and six-year-old twin daughters. Under Maharashtra’s two-child norm, any person with more than two children born after 2005 cannot contest Panchayat elections.
According to police, Pandurang discussed the issue with his friend Ganesh Shinde, who is the current sarpanch of the village. The two allegedly conspired to find a way to overcome the rule. At first, Pandurang tried to change his son’s birth certificate to show the child as belonging to Ganesh Shinde. He even visited the Pune Municipal Corporation office, but failed to change the records.
After failing to alter the documents, the accused allegedly decided to kill one of his daughters and show her as missing. They first thought about giving the child up for adoption, but realised that her name would still remain in the birth records. Pandurang also considered abandoning her but feared legal trouble if she returned.
Police said that they then planned to kill Prachi, the elder of the twin girls, and make it look like an accident. Telangana’s Nizamabad district is located just a few kilometres from his village. Pandurang allegedly took Prachi on his motorcycle to the Nizam Sagar canal, around 60 kilometres away. He then pushed her into the canal and fled from the spot.
Some villagers working nearby heard a splash and found the girl’s body floating in the water. They informed the police, who started an investigation. At first, the child’s identity was not known. Later, her photos were circulated widely on social media. A person from her village identified Prachi after seeing her picture as the display photo on a police officer’s WhatsApp number.
Police reached the village and questioned her father. Initially, he tried to mislead the police by saying that Prachi was undergoing treatment at a health centre. However, during questioning, he confessed to the crime.
Pandurang has been arrested and booked under charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. The current sarpanch, Ganesh Shinde, has also been arrested as a co-conspirator.
A police officer said that the accused had misunderstood the election rules. Even if one of the three children dies or goes missing, the person would still remain disqualified under the two-child norm.
As per the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act, any person with more than two children born after 2005 is not allowed to contest local body elections. The rule is meant to promote family planning. However, in some cases, there have been reports of candidates trying to hide children or distance themselves legally to meet the eligibility criteria.
