Man Throws His Baby Into Canal To Avoid Losing His Job

A man allegedly killed his baby by throwing his baby into a canal just to ensure that he does not face any problems in his job in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India on Sunday, Jan. 22.

The accused, identified as 36-year-old Jhawarlal Meghwal, a contractual worker, was expecting to get permanent in his job. Since the state government has a two-child policy and entails compulsory retirement of the employee on the birth of the third child, the man became apprehensive about his job after his third child was born, NDTV reported.

Meghwal had given an affidavit in Dec. 2022 stating that he only has two children. However, since he already had three children, he also gave his 8-year-old daughter to his brother for adoption.

Meghwal and his wife Geeta Devi, 33, had a fourth child on Oct. 13, 2022. However, fearing that the child would prevent him from getting a permanent job, the couple decided to get rid of the baby.

On Sunday, Jan. 22, at around 5.30 pm, Meghwal and his wife Devi came riding on a bike with their three-and-a-half-month-old baby and threw the baby into a canal. The couple then fled the spot after the locals shouted to stop them. Seeing the child drowning in the canal, the locals then tried to rescue the baby and took her out of the water. However, despite the efforts, the child died, India Today reported.

Following this, the police were informed about the incident. The officers immediately launched a manhunt to trace the couple and Meghwal's bike was discovered about 20 kilometers away from the spot. Based on the information received, the couple was nabbed in Diyatra village and was taken into police custody.

"The couple was arrested on Monday for the murder of their daughter. The accused along with his wife took this step to get a permanent government job," Bikaner Superintendent of Police Yogesh Yadav said.

Following the incident, a case has been registered against Meghwal and his wife Devi under sections 302 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Chhatargarh police station.