7-day-old boy killed in parents’ scuffle

JAIPUR: A seven-day-old boy was allegedly killed in a scuffle between his parents in Harmada on Tuesday. The couple secretly buried the body of their son, following which police detained the father for questioning.
The couple’s two-year-old daughter is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital after sustaining injuries during the couple’s fight. DCP (West) Vikas Sharma said that it could not be corroborated if the death was a murder or an accident. While Harmada police have not ruled out foul play in the infant’s death, cops said that the boy’s body was exhumed late night after a tip-off from the couple’s neighbours. According to preliminary investigation based on the mother’s statements, she was holding the son in her arms, when he fell off during the couple’s fight. “However, we are investigating the case to corroborate their statements, which cannot be relied upon easily given the fact that they had tried to keep the death a secret,” said SHO Ramesh Saini.

The police have detained Daya Ram, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who works as a labourer in Daulpura area. He secretly buried his son at a cremation ground without informing anybody. Sharma said that the police had received the information about the burial from Daya’s neighbours.

“We have exhumed the body and a post-mortem will be conducted. Only a detailed PMR (Post Mortem Report) will reveal the cause and nature of his death,” Sharma said. The investigators informed TOI that Daya Ram is mentally unstable and is being interrogated at Harmada police station. “Their daughter is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. It is also a matter of investigation as to how did she get injured,” Sharma said.

The couple’s neighbour, Naryan Lal, in his complaint to the cops alleged that Daya Ram had thrashed his son due to which the infant died. Saini said all angles are being looked into, in the investigation. An FSL team was called to the couple’s room to collect samples.