Couple Throws 3-Month-Old Daughter Into Canal Fearing Husband Would Lose Job

A couple in India threw their 3-month-old daughter into a canal and killed her, fearing that the husband would lose his government job because of the two-child policy, reports said.

The shocking incident happened in Bikaner, a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, where the state government has a policy that does not allow a person to apply for or hold a government job if they have more than two children, The Times of India reported.

A witness called cops after they saw the couple, later identified as Jhanwarlal Meghwal and Gita, coming on a bike and throwing an infant into a canal Sunday. The couple fled the scene after the incident.

The infant was pulled out of the water and rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead.

Police launched a manhunt and nabbed the suspects after they recovered their bike around 12 miles away from the scene.

Investigators determined that Meghwal worked as a school assistant on a contractual basis and was expecting to get a permanent position. Meghwal reportedly had four children, including the now-deceased child. According to reports, Meghwal's 8-year-old daughter was earlier adopted by his brother to save the government job. In an affidavit filed by him to the government in December, he declared only having two children.

"We received information that a man and woman threw a baby girl in a canal in Chhattargarh, Bikaner. Her body was later recovered by police. Both the accused were arrested; the man and woman were found to be the parents of the deceased baby girl.The accused threw his daughter in the canal allegedly because he wanted to get a permanent job," Vinod Kumar, an investigating officer, told ANI.

Police have arrested both the parents on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, reports said.

As part of the state policy, persons with more than two children are also disqualified from contesting elections as a member of the panchayat (village council). However, parents of children with disabilities are exempted. Similar policies have been adopted in many other states in India, such as Uttar Pradesh and Assam to control the rampantly increasing population of the country.