Umerkote: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl telling the police how her mother was strangled by her father has surprised many. After the incident came to light the deceased woman’s father demanded capital punishment for his son-in-law.
The deceased identified as Lipika Mandal, daughter of Tapan Mandal from Karagaon in Umerkote block of Nabarangpur district, had married Manik Ghosh from Silati village of the same block seven years ago. Manik had studied Hotel Management but was unemployed at the time of their marriage.
In May this year, there was a fight between the husband and wife and a complaint in this regard had been filed at Umerkote Police Station. Following it, Lipika returned to her paternal house at Karagaon.
Later in the month of June, Manik’s family came to take her back but Lipika did not agree. Finally, after a meeting with the village elders, she returned to her in-laws’ house. Subsequently, both the husband and wife with their daughter left for Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh where Manik got a job in a hotel.
At around 6 am on Monday, Manik called one of his friends from Karagaon who lives in Kakinada and said that Lipika fainted at night and did not wake up. Manik’s friend immediately reached and saw that Lipika had strangulation signs on her neck.
The most surprising thing is that Mahi Ghosh, the two-and-a-half-year-old daughter of Lipika, told the police that it was her father who strangled her mother. Manik said before the police that after Lipika fainted, he put his finger near her mouth. As she bit his finger, he got angry and strangled her.
After a post-mortem of Lipika, her body was handed over to her father Tapan. He with the body and his granddaughter reached Karagaon yesterday evening in an ambulance. Later, Lipika’s body was taken to her in-laws’ house where her last rites were completed.
Lipika’s father said that his daughter was totally healthy and she didn’t faint, her husband killed her in a planned manner and demanded the death penalty for him. He also alleged Manik had sold 4 acres of land that was in the name of Lipika.
