Father kills toddler born out of wedlock to protect political career

A father allegedly killed his two-year-old baby born out of wedlock to avoid tarnishing his political image in Chitradurga district of Karnataka. Ningappa, 33, a resident of Guttidurga, is the accused who murdered his daughter Girisha by strangulating and burying her in the outskirts of the district.

Even though the incident took place one month ago, news of this brutal killing came into light, when Shashikala, mother of the toddler filed a complaint with the Women's Police Station in Chitradurga on October 9. Ningappa, already married and father to three children was in a relationship with Shashikala for four years. Shashikala and her parents had constantly pressured Ningappa to reveal their relationship among their families and relatives.

However, Ningappa was in a plan to contest in the gram panchayat elections. And he thought any revelation about his extra-marital affair and the child would spoil his political career. This provoked Ningappa to kill his daughter.

As told to The Hindu, Chitradurga SP G. Radhika revealed that over the last few days, Ningappa had convinced Shashikala to get separated and hand over the baby to an orphanage. Though Shashikala refused initially, she consented later. On September 7, the accused took the baby and asked Shashikala to return to her native place. A week later, when she inquired about the baby, he repeatedly misled her about the baby's whereabouts. This led Shashikala to file a complaint and eventually, on October 12, he confessed that he had killed the baby.

The police arrested the accused and exhumed the baby's body at Guttidurga in Jagalur taluk on Tuesday.

(Translated by Fathima Shareef)