A deeply disturbing incident from Madhya Pradesh has once again brought to light the grim reality of gender bias that continues to plague parts of society. In a shocking act of cruelty, a forty-five-year-old woman in the Tikamgarh district ruthlessly strangled her own twenty-day-old granddaughter to death. The newborn infant was killed simply because the grandmother viewed female children as an unbearable social and financial liability. Following a brief attempt by the family to cover up the crime, local law enforcement intervened, leading to a confession from the accused and her subsequent imprisonment.
A Silent Murder in the Dead of Night
The chilling crime unfolded in the village of Bannebujurg, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Palera police station. According to the authorities, the infant, named Manisha, was peacefully asleep beside her mother, Pukkhan Adivasi, during the early hours of Sunday. At approximately 3:00 AM, the infant's grandmother, Rekha Adivasi, quietly approached the sleeping pair. Without waking the mother, she picked up the twenty-day-old baby and choked the life out of her. In a cold-blooded move to avoid immediate suspicion, Rekha then placed the lifeless body back onto the bed right next to the unsuspecting mother before silently leaving the room.
The Tragic Discovery and a Failed Cover-Up
The horrific reality came to light sometime later when Pukkhan awoke from her sleep. Reaching out for her newborn, she immediately noticed an unsettling lack of movement. Panic set in as she gently shook little Manisha, desperately hoping for a response. When the baby remained entirely motionless, the devastated mother broke down into loud, hysterical sobs, which quickly jolted the rest of the sleeping household awake. Realizing what had transpired, the family members initially conspired to mislead the authorities to protect the matriarch. They spun a false narrative, attempting to convince the police that the infant had tragically passed away due to complications from a local occult exorcism ritual, commonly known as jhaad-phoonk.
A Deep-Seated Hatred for Daughters
However, the deceptive facade quickly crumbled under the intense scrutiny of the investigating officers. During rigorous questioning, Rekha Adivasi finally broke down and confessed to the gruesome murder. The motive she revealed left everyone involved entirely stunned. A tearful Pukkhan recounted the prolonged ordeal she had endured, explaining that her mother-in-law harbored a profound resentment towards female children. From the very day Manisha was born, Rekha's behavior had turned incredibly hostile and abusive. Because Pukkhan's husband, Dhaniram, was away working as a daily wage laborer in Delhi, the young mother was left entirely vulnerable. Rekha would routinely deny her daughter-in-law basic meals, punishing her for giving birth to a girl. The grandmother openly declared her belief that raising a daughter would force the family to bow down before others in society and would eventually drain their finances through exorbitant marriage expenses. It was this deep-rooted hatred and regressive mindset that ultimately drove her to extinguish the innocent newborn's life.
Police Action and Societal Reflection
The local law enforcement apparatus responded swiftly once the truth was uncovered. Additional Superintendent of Police Vikram Singh of Tikamgarh confirmed that the department took the matter with the utmost seriousness, conducting a thorough and meticulous investigation into the circumstances of the newborn's death. Following her explicit confession, a formal murder case was immediately registered against Rekha Adivasi. She was subsequently arrested and transferred to the local jail. Beyond the legal proceedings, the tragic fate of young Manisha serves as a stark and painful reminder of the narrow, patriarchal mentality that still severely devalues the lives of girls in various communities, turning what should be a haven of family protection into a fatal threat.
