5-year-old girl dies after being thrown off Rajbagh bridge by aunt

Srinagar, Dec 07: In a shocking incident, a five-year-old girl was thrown off the Rajbagh bridge near SPS museum in Srinagar allegedly by her “mentally distressed” aunt. The girl succumbed to her injuries on Friday at a hospital, police said.

A police official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the incident happened three days ago when the girl was accompanied by her aunt, who allegedly threw her off the bridge. “The child had apparently fell on the concrete base below and suffered critical injuries,” he said.

Soon after, locals and passersby rushed to the spot and evacuated the girl to a hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries yesterday after battling for life for three days at Srinagar’s Super Speciality hospital, he said.

The officer further disclosed that during questioning, the child’s aunt revealed she was on anti-depressant medication and had been experiencing panic attacks. “The accused lady also revealed she is engaged and for the last five to six days, she has not even talked to her fiancé," he said.

Eyewitnesses told KNO that the woman was shouting continuously and tried to resist while being held back by the locals and passersby.

One of the eyewitnesses said, “On that day, I was on the other side of the bridge selling socks. I saw a lady accompanied by a little girl. First, the lady came close to the fence of the bridge, and we thought they were looking for something in the water. Suddenly, the lady took the little girl and threw her off the bridge. The girl apparently fell on the concrete base of the bridge."

He continued, “As the lady threw her in the river Jhelum, she also tried to jump off the bridge, but I caught hold of her. I called a shikarawala (local boatman), and we all got involved in rescuing the girl. The lady ran towards the shore and tried to attempt suicide again, but we stopped her. We took her, and police arrived at the scene. The lady was taken into later taken into custody.”

The authorities at Srinagar’s SMHS hospital told KNO that the girl was initially admitted there, but was later shifted to the Super Specialty hospital, where she succumbed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Friday.

Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Kothi Bagh police station. The officer in charge told KNO that the FIR was initially registered under 109 BNS for attempted murder. After girl’s death, it was updated to 103 BNS, and the woman has been arrested, he said.