Maharashtra panchayat poll shocker: Man kills third child to qualify under two-child norm

• Man killed daughter to become eligible for gram panchayat polls in Maharashtra
• Accused and village sarpanch arrested by Telangana police
• Investigation revealed murder after girl's body was found in Nizamsagar canal

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Telangana police have arrested a man from Maharashtra for allegedly killing his six-year-old daughter so that he could become eligible to contest upcoming gram panchayat elections, officials said. In Maharashtra, candidates with more than two children are barred from contesting local body polls.

The accused has been identified as Pandurang Kondamangale, a resident of Kerur village in Nanded district. He was arrested on Monday by Telangana police. Pandurang is accused of drowning his daughter, Prachi, in the Nizamsagar canal in Nizamabad district on January 29.

According to the police, Pandurang had twin daughters earlier, including Prachi, and later had a son. With three children, he was not eligible to contest the gram panchayat election scheduled in about six months. Investigators said he allegedly decided to kill Prachi to meet the eligibility criteria and fulfil his political ambitions.

The present sarpanch of Kerur village, Ganesh Shinde, was also arrested for allegedly helping Pandurang plan the crime. Police said Ganesh had encouraged Pandurang to contest the elections and was aware that he would be disqualified because he had three children.

The case came to light after Bodhan rural police in Nizamabad district found the body of an unidentified young girl in the Nizamsagar canal. As there were no immediate clues about her identity, a police constable uploaded the girl’s photograph on his WhatsApp status and asked people to share any information. The image was also circulated among nearby police stations.

Within a few hours, police from Mukhed taluk in Maharashtra contacted the Bodhan police and identified the girl as Prachi, daughter of Pandurang, who had been missing for several days. When Telangana police contacted Pandurang for details, they noticed that he gave inconsistent answers.

Police then tracked the location of Pandurang’s mobile phone and found that he had travelled to Telangana around the time of the incident. During questioning, he allegedly confessed to the crime.

Nizamabad Police Commissioner P Sai Chaitanya said the accused initially tried to give Prachi up for adoption to couples who wanted children. “When that plan failed, they allegedly decided to kill the child. On January 29, Pandurang brought Prachi to the Nizamsagar canal and pushed her into the water before returning to his village,” he said.

Both accused have been taken into custody, and further investigation is underway.