Vav-Tharad:
In a horrifying incident from Suigam in Gujarat's Vav-Tharad district, a father allegedly poured petrol on his 2.5-year-old son and set him ablaze.
Following the child's death, the accused allegedly attempted to erase all trace of the crime by secretly burying the body at a local cremation ground.
Cops have now arrested the accused and filed a case of murder and destruction of evidence, while a distressing video showing the severely burnt toddler sitting on a cot prior to his death has surfaced.
The horrific incident unfolded after the accused, identified as Ashok Rawal, was left alone to care for his young son, Navghan, following his wife's decision to return to her parental home. According to the police complaint, struggling to manage the responsibility of raising the boy single-handedly in his wife's absence, the father allegedly began to view his helpless child as a burdensome liability.
On the afternoon of October 13, between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, the accused allegedly doused the young boy in petrol and ignited it. Although the father eventually rushed the child to a hospital for treatment, the toddler died due to his extensive burn injuries. In a desperate bid to cover up the crime, the father, along with certain family members, buried the remains at a community burial site shortly after the child died.
The gruesome murder came to light only when the accused's uncle, Babubhai Rawal, learned of the tragic events. Appalled by his nephew's actions, Babubhai approached the Suigam police station and lodged an official complaint against him. Prompted by the report, cops dispatched a team to the cremation ground, exhumed the child's body, and sent it for a detailed postmortem examination.
Police have formally charged Ashok Rawal under the relevant sections for causing the disappearance of evidence under the BNS. The accused remains in police custody while investigators investigate the circumstances surrounding the heinous crime.
Residents of Suigam are left struggling to comprehend how a parent could commit such a barbaric act against a child at an age that demands utmost care and protection.