Maharashtra man allegedly kills six-yr-old daughter to meet two-child rule for contesting Sarpanch election

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• Man kills daughter in Nanded to bypass 2-child rule for sarpanch election
• Police say current sarpanch conspired with accused; both booked for murder
• Case sparks outrage in Maharashtra and Telangana over political ambition

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A bid to enter local politics has led to a horrifying crime in Maharashtra’s Nanded district, where a 28-year-old man is accused of murdering his six-year-old daughter to make himself eligible to contest for the post of sarpanch.

The accused, Pandurang Kondmangale, ran a small barbershop named Viraat Saloon in Kerur village and was known locally as a family man with three children -- a three-year-old son and twin daughters.

But police say his ambitions to contest upcoming panchayat elections pushed him to plan the killing of one of his own children.

Under Maharashtra’s Panchayat Raj Act, individuals with more than two children are barred from contesting rural local body elections. With elections scheduled for June, Kondmangale allegedly began exploring ways to circumvent the rule.

According to police, he approached the current sarpanch of the village, Ganesh Shinde, seeking guidance. “The two were friends, and they allegedly decided to get rid of one of his children, Prachi, the elder of the twins,” Sau Chaitanya, the Nizamabad Commissioner of Police, told The Indian Express.

Investigators say the men initially discussed giving the child up for adoption. However, they dropped the idea as Prachi’s name would still appear on official birth records. Another plan --  abandoning the child -- was also rejected.

“He then thought of abandoning the child. But what if she came back to the village?” Chaitanya said. “The two then allegedly conspired to kill the child and make it seem like an accident.”

On the pretext of a trip, Kondmangale allegedly took Prachi on a motorcycle across the border into Telangana. “Kondmangle allegedly took Prachi for a trip to Nizamabad, just a few kilometres away from his village,” Chaitanya said. “No one suspected anything because crossing the border is common.”

The police allege he stopped near the Nizamsagar Canal in Nizamabad district, an area surrounded by farmland, and pushed the child into the water before fleeing. “He allegedly pushed the girl into the water and fled the scene,” Chaitanya said.

Farm workers nearby heard a splash and rushed to the canal, where they found the child floating. Local police were alerted and recovered the body. Because the body was retrieved quickly and had not bloated, officers were able to photograph her face.

“The pictures were circulated widely on social media, WhatsApp and newspapers. Someone from the Maharashtra village identified Prachi when they saw her photo as the display picture on the WhatsApp number of one of the police personnel,” Chaitanya said.

Telangana Police formed three teams to investigate and one team travelled to Kerur village. When questioned, Kondmangale initially claimed that Prachi was receiving treatment at a distant health centre. He failed to provide details about who was caring for her.

“When pushed to a corner, he revealed that he had killed the child,” Chaitanya said.

Police have booked Kondmangale under sections related to murder and criminal conspiracy. The current sarpanch has also been named as a co-conspirator.

“The child couldn’t swim when she hit the water. Though the villagers reached the canal within 10 minutes, no one could save her life,” Chaitanya said.

The case has sent shockwaves through both Maharashtra and Telangana, exposing a disturbing intersection of political ambition and extreme cruelty.