In a shocking incident, Pandurang Kondmangale (28) from Kerur village in Mukhed taluka, Nanded district, Maharashtra, allegedly killed his six-year-old daughter to bypass the two-child norm and contest the upcoming Panchayat elections.
According to Nizamabad Police, the body of the girl, identified as Prachi (6), was discovered in the Nizam Sagar canal in Yedapally, Telangana. Investigations revealed that Pandurang had attempted to mislead authorities by claiming she was receiving treatment at a health centre. Upon further questioning, he confessed to pushing the child into the canal.
The investigation uncovered that Pandurang, who runs a barber shop in his village, has three children: a three-year-old boy and twin girls aged six. Due to the two-child limit for Panchayat election candidates in Maharashtra, he was ineligible to contest. In consultation with his friend and village sarpanch, Ganesh Ramachandra Shinde, they allegedly conspired to eliminate Prachi, the elder of the twins.
Police reports state that alternatives like adoption or abandoning the child were considered but dismissed, as they would not remove her from official records. Pandurang then took Prachi to Nizamabad, pushed her into the canal, and fled. Local villagers discovered the body and alerted authorities.
The girl’s identity was confirmed after her photos circulated on social media, and someone recognized her through the WhatsApp display photo linked to police contacts.
Following the investigation, Pandurang Kondmangale and village sarpanch Ganesh Shinde were arrested by Nizamabad Police and sent to judicial custody. Authorities are continuing their probe into the case.
The case has drawn widespread outrage, highlighting the extreme lengths some individuals may take to circumvent election rules, and underscores the vulnerability of children in such criminal conspiracies.
