12-year-old asks for pen, father beats him to death

It was around 11 pm when Rohit approached his father for money to buy a pen for his exams the next morning. Wankhede told the boy off, refusing the money. Rohit, however, would not give up. When he kept insisting, Wankhede flew into a rage.

He dragged his wife, Urmila out of the kitchen and locked her out of the house. Then he turned on Rohit and beat him up. When the boy resisted, Wankhede took a stick and rained blows on his stomach, neck and back. As the boy cried in pain, he grabbed him and hit his head against the wall. This, while his six-month-old daughter was at home.

Urmila’s cries for help brought out the neighbours who broke down the door and rushed Rohit to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital. It was too late, though. Rohit died on the way to hospital.

Meena Bhat, one of the neighbours, lodged a complaint with the Pimpri police station on Sunday afternoon. Inspector D.G. Bondre said Wankhede was arrested immediately.