PILIBHIT: A bench of the child welfare committee (CWC) in Pilibhit comprising four magistrates, including its chairperson Purnima Pandey, sent a letter to the superintendent of police (SP) Atul Sharma on Monday demanding an FIR against a man for allegedly slamming his two-day-old newborn girl on the floor, killing her, as he was expecting a male child after two daughters.
A written complaint in the matter was filed to the inspector (crime), Umesh Kumar, posted at Puranpur Kotwali police station on May 31 by the baby’s maternal grandmother. However, police did not lodge an FIR maintaining that the issue was resolved between the husband and the wife by virtue of an amicable compromise.
The wife, Shabbo Beghum (28) of Sirsa village had filed an oral complaint and said that “she wanted her husband punished.” She alleged that her husband, Mohammad Farhan (32), barged into the maternity house along with a few persons in late evening hours on May 31 and compelled her to sign the compromise under the threat of her killing.
“The complete negligence of the police in lodging an FIR in the matter is something surprising as a child welfare officer is designated at every police station across the state to ensure the protection of children and infants. This officer was expected to take an immediate ‘suo moto’ cognisance of the heinous murder of the newborn,” said Babita Saxena, a senior criminal lawyer and magistrate at CWC in Pilibhit.
On being asked, the SP said, “I will get the matter probed as soon as I receive the letter and will take further action based on the concerned report.”
Meanwhile, another magistrate of CWC, Parvez Hanif, said that “the district police chief was expected to order an FIR first and an investigation thereafter as the baby’s mother was also brutalised during her pregnancy and intimidated to forcibly compromise by her husband. It is also a matter of violence against a woman.”
