Kashmir shocker: Father murders 7-year-old daughter in Kupwara for stopping his suicide bid

In north Kashmir's Kupwara, a man has confessed to killing his 7-year-old daughter and dumping her body away from home. The incident has sparked outrage from various sections of society with many demanding strict action against the accused.

Kupwara: In a shocking development, the father of a 7-year-old girl whose throat slit body was found outside her residence in Khurhama Zab area of Lolab in north Kashmir's Kupwara district last week, has confessed to the crime, police said on Monday.

Mohammad Iqbal Khatana, 45, confessed to having killed his daughter after she allegedly tried to stop him from taking his own life. Reports quoting an investigating officer said the girl accompanied her father on Wednesday evening after he left home with a knife following a tiff with his wife. As Iqbal rushed to his vehicle to get away, his daughter refused to let him alone and followed him in the vehicle.

As per the report, Iqbal repeatedly asked the girl to go back and even gave her some money to buy candies but she refused to leave. Iqbal, who was already angry, strangled the girl to death and then slit her throat, the report quoted the investigating officer as saying. Khatana then allegedly dumped the body in a nearby firewood shed.

He later went home a few hours and feigned ignorance about his daughter's absence. The girl’s body was soon found in the shed just 30 metres away from her residence on Wednesday night. The incident has led to protests in the area, sending shockwaves across the valley and sparked outrage from various sections of society with many demanding strict action against the accused. Senior Superintendent of Police Kupwara, Yougal Manhas while speaking to reporters here, said that the father was taken into police custody for questioning after the girl's body was found.

"During interrogation, he confessed to the gruesome crime. The knife which was used in the crime was also recovered from him," he said. He further said that the police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the law and are currently investigating the matter.

On the day the young girl's body was found, another crime involving a man killing his mother was reported from the nearby Baramulla district in north Kashmir. The accused Showkat Ahmad Ganai, 28, a driver by profession, who was allegedly addicted to drugs was arrested for allegedly strangulating his 70-year-old mother Asha Begum to death at Dangerpora in Sopore area of Baramulla. The accused, according to police, confessed to the crime but didn’t specify any cause.

Suicide is not a solution: If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.