GUWAHATI: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl drowned after she was thrown into a river by her father in a bid to
cure his ailments
in Baksa district of Assam.
Birbal Boro, 45, was arrested shortly after the crime on Saturday in Tamulpur. He claimed that God came to him in his dreams and ordered him to commit the act. "He was sick for sometime. On Saturday, he took our daughter, Hrishika, for a walk in the evening but returned home alone. When we asked about her, he said he has thrown her in Borla river," said his wife, Junu Boro after lodging a police complaint.
She immediately raised an alarm and called for help. However by the time the State Disaster Response Force team fished out the girl's body, she had died. Birbal was caught by locals and handed over to police. Police are probing the possibility of an occultist's role in the crime. "It is suspected that his mental condition is not well," police said.
Cops waiting for accused's medical reportBaksa SP Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar, said, "We have booked Birbal under murder charges and an investigation is on." Police are waiting for his medical report.
Sources in police said they are investigating whether Birbal was influenced by any occultist. "It is suspected that his mental condition is not well. Though there is no report of involvement of any quack in the incident, all possible angles are being probed," said a source in the police. Since 2016, at least 21 people have lost their lives in incidents related to superstitions or rumours across the state.
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