Dad accused of killing 11-year-old son with cricket bat (Kolkata, India)

You can change geographic location, language, culture, or weapon of choice all you like. But for the most part, the abusive father dynamic stays the same.

In this case, dad KOLKATAS KONNAGAR apparently lived with his son, while his wife lived elsewhere. No explanation here as to whether they were formally separated or divorced, or whether a custody agreement was in place. But in the end, what does it really matter. The father was custodial in fact, if not by legal design.

It appears that Daddy was miffed that the mother "might" be guilty of "infidelity"--though it seems like a ridiculous thing to be concerned about if you're no longer living together as husband and wife. No matter. Daddy got himself in a kerfuffle anyway. So naturally, like a lot of vindictive, controlling abusers, he makes the mother suffer by brutally murdering their 11-year-old son. Can't help but wonder if Daddy's violence and abuse was one reason the mother no longer lived with him.

Another similarity to cases in the west: the press makes the error of blaming ths crime on "discord" or "trouble" between the "husband and wife." Discord implies two people who are both unhappy or creating disharmony. Read this article carefully. I fail to see any acts of discord on the mother's part. In fact, it appears that all the "discord" is being generated on Dad's side. He's the one who is described as "bad tempered," the one who hits the child, the one who issued death threats before he decided to beat an 11-year-old child to death with a cricket bat. Not the mom.

One bright light. At least the neighbors seem to be smarter than the American suburbanites who are always blathering on about how some father who killed three kids with an axe was "really a nice guy." Or how he must have "snapped" because his 401(k) dropped in value. Not these neighbors. They knew that this guy was "bad tempered" and that there was no excuse for his actions.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/father-accused-of-killing-child-with-cricket-bat-71872

Father accused of killing child with cricket bat
Monideepa Banerjie, Updated: December 10, 2010 21:37 IST

Kolkata: Eleven-year-old Argha Haldar was beaten to death with a cricket bat by his father in Kolkata's Konnagar. Neighbours say, father's fury might have been as a result of discord between the husband and wife.

The boy was apparently killed on December 1 but the body only discovered today. The father telephoned the mother - who was away - to tell her about his heinous act and is now absconding.

Haldar was battered to death by his father Dasarath, who later called his wife in Jamshedpur on December 1 to tell her that he had killed her son.

"The wife Falguni Haldar has filed an FIR. We recovered the body after breaking open the door. Dasarath Haldar is absconding. We are looking for him," said KP Barui, SDPO, Sreerampur.

A CRPF personnel, the wife lives separately and didn't believe her husband as he had made empty threats in the past. But she went to the police on December 8, as her husband and son were missing. Neighbours also complained to the police about a foul smell coming from the flat.

"There was trouble between the husband and wife. The husband, Dasarath Haldar, was bad tempered. The husband's anger led him to hit the boy," said Ashish Tapadar, Neighbour.

Dasarath apparently suspected his wife of infidelity and believed that Argha wasn't really his son. But that, say neighbours, is simply no excuse for battering the boy to death.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/father-accused-of-killing-child-with-cricket-bat-71872?cp