A 32-year-old e-rickshaw driver in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district stabbed his seven-month-old daughter to death in an inebriated state and grievously injured his wife on Friday, police said.
Krishna Burman, a resident of Baro Nachina village in the Dinhata 1 community block of the district, died in a hospital with critical injuries after angry local residents beat him up for attacking his family.
Villagers told the police that Burman was drunk when he came home on Friday morning and had a quarrel with Mithu, his wife, before stabbing the infant.
Burman’s elder sister Saraswati said her brother left home on Thursday night and returned early in the morning in a completely inebriated state.
“The man got angry when he found that his wife was still asleep and started a fight. We have started an investigation,” Sanjay Dutta, inspector in charge of Dinhata police station, said while speaking to HT.
“When I entered the house, I saw the child critically injured. We rushed Mithu and the baby to the hospital,” Saraswati Burman said.
The neighbours heard the commotion and assembled outside the house. The e-rickshaw driver allegedly got furious and attacked them as well, said a police officer.
Two villagers sustained injuries and the others thrashed Burman before handing him over to the police.
Burman succumbed to his injuries at Dinhata sub-divisional hospital around 11.30am while his daughter was declared dead at 7.30am. Mithu Burman is admitted at Cooch Behar Medical College and Hospital.
West Bengal allowed the sale of liquor from all standalone shops on Monday, adding an additional 30% sales tax. Since then, crowds have swelled outside liquor outlets across the state and unofficial sale figures have crossed Rs 300 crore.
Bars and outlets inside shopping malls are, however, closed. The state has also allowed home delivery of liquor from the retail outlets.
