Dad finally jailed for murdering 8-month-old daughter (Madurai, India)

Notice that Mom who pushed the issue by insisting on an autopsy and a police investigation. UNNAMED DAD had convinced everybody else that the baby was just in "poor health."

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-27/madurai/30446441_1_female-infanticide-chemical-analysis-report-poisoning

Man jailed for killing daughter
TNN Nov 27, 2011, 03.12PM IST

MADURAI: A 28-year-old man was arrested in Theni in southern Tamil Nadu on the charge of practising female infanticide on Saturday after police found that his eight-month-old daughter had died of poisoning.

It was his 24-year-old wife who put him behind bars for the brutal 'murder' of their daughter. The woman, who grew suspicious over the untimely death of their eight-month-old infant , had lodged a police complaint seeking an investigation. The postmortem report found that the infant was poisoned. and investigations revealed that the baby's father was behind the death.

Though female infanticide is prevalent in many southern districts, including parts of Madurai, Theni, a backward district, is notorious for the practice. However, during the recent census, the child sex ratio increased from 891 in 2001 census to 937 in 2011, throwing a surprise. The increase in CSR was due to concerted efforts by the government and NGOs. However, the killing of the eight-month-old baby has come as a shocker.

Police said Alagesapandian (28), a daily wage worker from Anumathampatti near Uthamapalayam, was married to Nandhini of the same village and the couple gave birth to a girl in 2010. When the infant reached eight months, it died mysteriously. Alagesapandian convinced his relatives and villagers that the baby was suffering from poor health and had died as treatment failed. However, Nandhini grew suspicious of the claim and lodged a police complaint. alleging a mystery in the death of her child.

Subsequently, a postmortem was performed and the viscera of the baby was sent for laboratory tests which revealed death due to poisoning. Even As the needle of suspicion turned towards Alagesapandian, who also sensed the police were zeroing in on him, he moved to Chennai and was working as a lorry driver. "We received the chemical analysis report of the viscera only on Friday. We immediately arrested Alagesapandian," said a police official. However, police said they were probing as to whether the motive for the murder was because the infant was a female. "During interrogation, the man claimed he did not kill the baby just because it was female. He said he had an clandestine affair with another woman who was reportedly insisted that their child be his legal heir," rather than the one born to Nandhini,'' police said.

Alagesapandian reportedly told the police that this was the motive behind the murder of the baby.

"Cases of female infanticide indeed came down in Theni. Still, these kind of incidents are a stark reminder for us to intensify our efforts," said V R Vanaja, programme director of Development Action Consortium Trust, a forum of nine NGOs.