The Odisha police have arrested a couple on charges of beating to death their six-year-old daughter in Ganjam district.
The incident took place when the girl, Tapasya, refused to take food following squabble between parents. The girl’s mother had already died and she was staying with her father and stepmother.
Ardu Dibakar, a daily wager, had slapped his daughter twice for reportedly not taking dinner. Subsequently, her stepmother, Ardu Mamini, hit Tapasya with a bamboo stick, leading to the girl’s death. When the parents were trying to dispose of the body, villagers caught hold of them and alerted the police.
“The woman was probably indifferent to the victim because she was a stepchild. We will investigate the case,” said Pinak Mishra, Berhampur Superintendent of Police.
