Death of sisters, aged 4 & 5, by drowning faked as murder to set up rivals in Dhar

Indore: A suspected double murder of two sisters in Dhar district took a dramatic turn during police investigation on Tuesday, which found that the children had accidentally drowned in a well and that the incident was later projected as a murder to settle an old village rivalry.

The bodies of four-year-old Tribika and five-year-old Shivani were found near a water reservoir in Jampada village on Monday night, triggering allegations that rivals had drowned them during a dispute meeting. However, police said the girls had died after falling into a well while grazing goats with their mother, and some villagers allegedly shifted the bodies and spread a false murder narrative to implicate members of a rival group.

However, police investigation on Tuesday found no evidence of murder.

“The incident occurred during a community meeting to resolve a social dispute involving the Khairkheda sarpanch and a woman from Petlawadiya. During the commotion, two children fell into a well. Their mother told us she had gone to graze goats with them when the younger child slipped and fell in. The mother and elder daughter also entered the well while trying to save her. Two men, including Gopal and Mukesh Katara, attempted a rescue, but the children died. Since the deaths coincided with the dispute, allegations were made against people from Petlawadiya. We rounded up several people for questioning. The death was recorded and the bodies were handed over to the family after post-mortem examination,” said ASP Parul Belapurkar.

Police said tensions had been simmering between two groups over a long-standing social dispute involving a married woman. Members of the woman’s in-laws‘ family had arrived in Khairkheda in a pick-up vehicle to participate in a traditional tribal community meeting when an argument reportedly broke out between the rival sides.

Police suspect the bodies were shifted from the well to a nearby reservoir area used for animals after the accident, and rumours were circulated that outsiders attending the dispute meeting were responsible for the deaths.

Around 21 people were questioned during the probe. Police said some individuals involved in retrieving the bodies admitted to spreading the murder allegation.