Father Allegedly Strangles Newborn Baby To Death Over Her Dark Skin Complexion

A man in India was arrested for allegedly strangling his newborn girl to death.

The incident took place in the eastern state of West Bengal on Wednesday morning, and the accused was identified as Rohul Islam.

According to local media reports, Islam was angry he had a girl child for the third consecutive time and that she had a dark complexion. The mother of the newborn, Rehana Begum, told the police she had been undergoing physical and mental torture for quite some time after she gave birth to two girl children.

Rehana told the police she was tense since late Monday evening after she gave birth to her third girl child. She was keeping the newborn under close watch ever since her birth. However, when she went to the washroom Wednesday, her husband strangled the newborn to death, the Kashmir Monitor reported.

The incident came to light when some local health workers reached the residence of Islam to enquire about the health conditions of the newborn. They noticed the dead baby, and immediately alerted the locals. Neighbors arrived at the home and thrashed the accused, who was then handed over to the police.

The body of the child was sent for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death, Shillong Times reported, citing IANS.

The State of World Population 2020 report released in the same year by the United Nations Population Fund -- the world organization’s sexual and reproductive health agency -- stated India has the highest rate of female deaths -- 13.5 per 1,000 female births. The number suggested an estimated one in nine deaths of females below the age of five is linked to postnatal sex selection.

Last year, a man in India allegedly killed his wife and their 9-year-old son by strangling them after lacing their dinner with sleeping pills. The incident took place in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. The incident came to light when the accused told his brother-in-law about the crime. He also allegedly attempted to take his own life with a knife but did not succeed. The police said the accused – identified as Abanti Mangaraj – strangled his wife and child to death after they fell asleep following dinner. The deceased woman was identified as Swarnalata Mangaraj. When his brother-in-law received the message about the killings, he tried to contact the accused, who did not respond. His brother-in-law then alerted the police.