Maharashtra Man Kills Six-Year-Old Daughter to Meet Two-Child Norm for Panchayat Elections
Maharashtra Man Kills Six-Year-Old Daughter to Meet Two-Child Norm for Panchayat Elections
In a deeply disturbing case that has shocked two states, a man from Maharashtra allegedly killed his own six-year-old daughter in a calculated attempt to meet the eligibility criteria for contesting Panchayat elections.
The accused, Pandurang Kondmangale (28), a barber by profession and a resident of Kerur village in Mukhed taluka of Nanded district, is accused of murdering his daughter Prachi to comply with Maharashtra’s two-child norm for local body election candidates. Pandurang has three children—a three-year-old son and twin daughters aged six—making him ineligible to contest the upcoming Panchayat elections.
According to police, Pandurang discussed his political ambitions with his close associate, Ganesh Ramachandra Shinde, the current sarpanch of the village. During these discussions, the two allegedly plotted ways to bypass the two-child rule. After exploring multiple options, they allegedly decided to eliminate one of the children.
Investigators revealed that the accused initially considered giving Prachi up for adoption. However, the idea was dropped after realizing that her name would still remain on official records, including the birth certificate, which would not solve the eligibility issue. Abandoning the child was also discussed, but Pandurang reportedly feared legal trouble if she was later traced back to him.
Police say the final and most horrifying decision was to stage the child’s death as an accident.
A few days ago, Pandurang took Prachi on his motorcycle to the Nizam Sagar canal in Telangana’s Nizamabad district, which is located just a few kilometres from his village. Once there, he allegedly pushed the child into the canal and fled the scene.
Local farmers working nearby heard a splash and rushed to the canal, where they discovered the young girl’s body floating in the water. They immediately alerted the authorities, prompting the Nizamabad police to begin an investigation.
Nizamabad Police Commissioner P. Sai Chaitanya stated that the child’s identity remained unknown initially. The breakthrough came when photographs of the girl were circulated widely on social media. A resident from Kerur village recognized Prachi after seeing her image as the display picture on a WhatsApp account belonging to a police official.
Following this lead, a police team travelled to the Maharashtra village and began questioning Prachi’s family. Pandurang initially attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that his daughter was undergoing treatment at a health centre. However, under sustained interrogation, he eventually confessed to the crime.
Based on his statement and further investigation, police arrested both Pandurang Kondmangale and village sarpanch Ganesh Shinde for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.
