Man throws his 4 kids into canal in UP's Kasganj district, girl saves 2 siblings

AGRA: A 35-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly throwing his four children from a 30ft-high bridge into a canal following an argument with his wife. One of the children he flung to her death, his 12-year-old daughter, not only managed to swim to safety but rescued two of her siblings. The fourth child, a five-year-old and youngest of the lot, is still missing.
The incident occurred at Sheikhupur Hunda under Sahawar police limits in UP's Kasganj district. On Monday, the accused, Pushpendra Kumar, after a domestic dispute, went to drop his wife at her father’s place, 15km away from the village.
On his return, Kumar told his children that he would take them to a fair at a nearby shrine. On the way, though, he stopped at the bridge and threw his four kids -- Sonu (13), Prabha (12), Kajal (8) and Hemlata (5) -- into the 15ft-deep canal.
What happened next was a show of sheer courage and presence of mind on the part of Prabha, who not only swam ashore but also brought along to safety her sister Kajal by tightly clutching her younger sibling's hand. Once ashore, she hollered at her elder brother Sonu, who was drowning, and told him to hold on to a bridge column till she "ensured" that help arrived. She then began screaming at the top of her lungs and waving frantically at passersby.
All the three children are in a stable condition, villagers said, adding that divers have now been deployed to trace the youngest child, Hemlata, who is missing.
Narrating the incident, Sonu said that his father had arranged for an auto-rickshaw to go to the fair. He added: "We were excited and dressed up well. After travelling for a few minutes, we stopped on a bridge. Dad took us to show the canal. He made us sit on the fence. When I asked about the depth of the canal, he pushed us down one by one. We are still unable to find our youngest sister."
An FIR was later registered against Pushpendra under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 307 (attempt to murder) on the basis of a complaint filed by the village watchman Chob Singh.
Calling Prabha the "real hero", Singh said, "Pushpendra had been working as a daily wager. He remained intoxicated most of the time. His wife somehow ensured education for the three elder children."
SHO of Sahawar, Siddhart Tomar, said, "During investigation, the accused confessed to his crime and claimed to have done it under the influence of alcohol. He has been sent to jail."