Mumbai: A six year-old boy died while his two siblings were hospitalised after their father allegedly gave them rat poison in ice cream following a dispute with his wife in Mumbai, a police official said.
The incident took place on June 25, but came to light on Tuesday when the boy died at the government-run Sion Hospital and doctors informed the Mankhurd police, the official said on Wednesday.
The children's mother, Nazia Begum, told the police that she and her husband, Ali Naushad Ansari (27), a daily wage worker, often fought over money-related issues.
On June 25, she left their home at Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd and went to stay with her sister after yet another quarrel, the woman said.
Ansari took the three children -- two boys and one girl -- out, promising them ice cream and allegedly gave them poison, she told the police.
Later, when the kids started complaining of stomach pain, Nazia Begum, who had returned home in the meanwhile, took them to Sion Hospital, the woman said.
Initially, she lied to doctors that the children had eaten rat poison accidentally, but when her son died, she decided to tell the truth to police, she said.
The police have also recorded the statements of the two surviving kids, who are recovering in the hospital, the official said.
A case has been registered against Ansari, who is absconding, under sections for murder and attempt to murder, he added.
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New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
