Karnataka Mother Strangles Newborn Daughter: A Tragic Case of Female Infanticide

A tragic incident was reported from Karnataka's Belagavi district where a mother strangled her newborn daughter to death, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Police investigations have revealed that the mother committed the heinous act because she was deeply distressed about not having a son.

The shocking event took place in Hiremulangi village of Ramdurg taluk in Belagavi district.

According to law enforcement, the mother strangled her three-day-old baby girl simply because she had given birth to another female child.

The accused, identified as Ashwini Halkatti, has been arrested and charged with murder at the Sureban Police Station.

Authorities stated that Ashwini Halkatti, a resident of Hiremulangi, already had three daughters and had been hoping for a male child.

On November 23, she delivered another baby girl at the Mudakavi Primary Health Centre.

She subsequently returned to her parental home in Hiremulangi the day after.

On Tuesday morning, when her mother left the house, Ashwini allegedly strangled the newborn to death.

She later pretended that the infant had stopped breathing and created a commotion, according to police reports.

The infant was hurriedly taken to Ramdurg Taluk Hospital, where medical professionals confirmed death by strangulation and suffocation.

During interrogation, the accused mother admitted to the terrible act.

Due to her recent childbirth, Ashwini is currently receiving medical treatment under police supervision at the Ramdurg Government Hospital.

Ramdurg Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chidambara Madivalar, visited the location and conducted an investigation.

Further inquiry is ongoing and additional details are expected to emerge.

In another disturbing case on February 29, 2024, a father threw his own child against a wall at his residence in Dharwad district.

The seven-month-old girl, named Vaishanavi, died from her injuries at KIMS hospital in Hubbali.

This incident was reported in Yadwad village of Dharwad district.

The accused, 37-year-old Shambulinga Shahapurmath, who was promptly arrested, has been charged under IPC Section 302 for murder.

According to reports, the accused's father told police officials that he was unhappy after his daughter was born.

Vaishanavi was his second child.

The Karnataka government had previously expressed concerns about a declining female-to-male sex ratio, which Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao partly attributed to organized female feticide operations.

Minister Gundu Rao had earlier stated in the state Assembly that Karnataka has registered eight cases related to female feticide since early 2023-24, resulting in 46 arrests.

To combat female feticide, the state government has established statutory committees under the PC and PNDT Act (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act) at both state and district levels.

Currently, 136 cases have been filed in court against scanning centers, owners, and doctors for violating the PC & PNDT Act.

Of these cases, 74 have concluded with penalties and closures, while 65 remain at various stages in court proceedings, according to Minister Rao.