KASUR: A man along with his second wife was taken into custody for questioning about death of his daughter from first wife and her burial in the courtyard of his house at village Gahlan Hithar in the limits of the Allahabad Police Station.

However, the police released the couple after being told that the infant was buried in the courtyard of the house by the couple as they could not afford expenses for the last rites. However, mystery shrouds the incident as burial in a village does not cost much.

The Allahabad police had received a complaint by a local who told the police that Muhammad Sharif, in connivance with his second wife, had strangled his eight-month-old daughter, Eman Fatima, and buried her in courtyard of the house some days back.

Sharif had contracted second marriage with the sister of his first wife after divorcing her and Fatima was from his first wife. The couple did not inform anyone about the death of the infant.

On receiving the complaint and initial investigation, the police arrested Sharif and his second wife (stepmother of Eman) on Saturday on suspicion of committing the crime.

The police, on the identification of the couple, recovered the body of the girl child by digging out the courtyard of their house.

However, on Sunday, the police released Sharif and his second wife apparently convinced by their logic for burying Eman in their courtyard.

The couple, according to the police, had buried the baby in the courtyard due of poverty as they were unable to afford spending money on funeral and other rituals, including coffin for the victim and food for the relatives.

According to Allahabad Station House Officer Muhammad Ramzan Dogar, Eman had died due to illness and her father and stepmother decided to bury her in the courtyard of the house to avoid expenditures.

He said Sharif was a poor man and employee of a local farmer. He added that the police had got autopsy of the deceased baby conducted and the doctors, in the initial report, had confirmed that she had died of natural causes.

He further said the couple had been released after legal formalities and a case would be lodged in the light of the detailed medical report.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2020