Amritsar:
India's shameful and sordid story of unwanted daughters continues. In the latest incident, a woman in Amritsar was allegedly strangled to death by her husband after she gave birth to a baby girl for the third time.
35-year-old Paramjit Kaur's husband, Nishan Singh, had been very upset over having two daughters. Desperate to have a boy, the birth of a girl again angered him so much that he reportedly tortured and killed his wife in a fit of rage.
"They had fought several times before...members of the panchayat had tried to explain to them several times. He wanted a male child...a baby girl is gift of god, a boy being born is also in the hands of the Almighty. He never understood this and strangled my sister to death. We have taken up the matter with the police and let the law take its course," Surjit Singh, the victim's brother said.
Police have arrested the accused and filed a case against his family.
"They were married for 10 years...they have two children. He used to suspect his wife all the time. We have arrested him...will file charges according to whatever sections of penal code will apply. Currently, we are getting the post-mortem done. As per rule, whatever offence he is guilty of, we will charge him with it," Manjit Singh, the Investigation Officer said.
The horrific incident is just one among several cases of strong biases against the girl child in Punjab which is reflected in crimes against women and female foeticide and infanticide. Despite promises of action by authorities and extensive media coverage, these crimes continue unabated in a state, which is next only to Haryana as having the lowest sex-ratio in the country.