Woman drowns infant daughter in pond, ends life in Gujarat: Police

The Chhota Udepur district police have begun a probe into the alleged suicide of a tribal woman, Sangeeta Bhil, from Pipalsat village of Sankheda Taluka, after allegedly drowning her eight-month-old daughter in a pond. Police said a preliminary enquiry revealed that the woman had “feared” that her family might separate her from her husband.

The incident allegedly occurred on November 26, when Sangeeta’s husband, Girish Bhil, went out to get milk and biscuits for his eight-month-old daughter at her insistence. When he returned home, he allegedly found his daughter in the man-made pond in the backyard while Sangeeta was missing. Sankheda Police Inspector BS Chauhan said that while searching for Sangeeta, along with some villagers, Girish Bhil found her hanging from a neem tree around 200 metres away.

“It primarily appears that she drowned her daughter in a water pond behind their house and then took the extreme step. The bodies have been sent for autopsy and a probe is on to ascertain the cause of death…” Chauhan said.

Police said that the primary probe had revealed that the deceased had been allegedly “worried” that her father would separate her from her husband as her family was opposed to their marriage. Police said that a case of murder had been lodged against the woman for the death of her the infant while a case of accidental death has been registered in the alleged suicide of the woman.