Punjab Newsline | Abohar (Fazilka)
A five-year-old girl, who was critically injured in an alleged assault in the Pakka Seed Farm area of Abohar, died during treatment at AIIMS Bathinda late Monday evening.
Following the child's death, the Nagar Police Station added a murder-related section to the case that had earlier been registered for assault and arrested her stepmother, identified as Akko Bai. The girl's body has been sent to the government hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.
According to information, the girl lived with her father, Gurditt Singh, and stepmother. She was allegedly assaulted on September 30, following which her condition deteriorated. She was initially taken to a local hospital, from where doctors referred her to AIIMS Bathinda for further treatment.
Despite receiving treatment for several days, the child succumbed to her injuries on Monday evening.
Police had initially registered a case of assault based on a complaint by Harsharanjit Kaur, a supervisor with the Child Protection Department. Police said the investigation was underway as the girl's condition remained critical.
After receiving information about her death, police added the murder charge to the case and arrested the accused woman.
The incident has triggered anger among local residents, who have demanded a fair and thorough investigation into all aspects of the case and strict legal action against anyone found responsible. Some residents have also raised suspicions of a possible property-related dispute behind the incident.
