Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Name: Sirajubai “Vaijanti”.
Died: October 8, 2016.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Burned.
Location: Wadgaon-Gujar, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Chronic illness.
Details:
Sirajubai’s body was found in a well; she had been burned to death. Police arrested her boyfriend, who had reportedly “become tired of her chronic illness”.
She was the mother of three daughters and a son, and stepmother to two sons and a daughter.
Case status:
Hariprasad Yadav (Boyfriend), arrested.
Name: Shobhana Kunnath.
Died: September 26, 2016.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.
Details:
Shobhana and her daughter Shruthi, who both had a mental disorder, were living in a house by themselves. Their family lived nearby and were wealthy but apparently made no effort to ensure their welfare. Unable to care for themselves, Shobhana and Shruthi went hungry. After a week of starvation, Shobhana died and Shruthi was found weak from hunger.
Case status:
Her family is under investigation.
The Human Rights Commission has registered a case.
Source:
Mentally challenged woman starves to death
Woman found starved to death at Edappal
Mentally disabled woman starves to death in Edappal
Mentally unstable woman found dead
Did mental illness and social neglect cause these two Kerala families to starve?
Name Unknown
Died: August 24, 2016.
Age at death: 2 months.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Koratagere, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Epilepsy.
Details:
This two-month-old girl’s mother had taken her to a hospital for treatment. She exited the hospital, came back without the baby, and told police that she had been kidnapped. However, the baby’s body was found in the river, and her cause of death was determined to be drowning. It was alleged that her mother had drowned her because she could not produce milk to feed her.
Case Status:
Kavitha (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to life; however, since several witnesses refused to testify, the judge ruled that the case had insufficient evidence and released her after 6 years in jail.
Sources:
Mother jailed for baby’s murder to walk free
Karnataka HC acquits woman found guilty of killing her two-month-old baby
Woman gets life term for throwing daughter into river
Name: Mohan Lal.
Died: July 24, 2016.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Head injury from axe.
Location: Naal Bashat, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Disability: No arms.
Details:
Mohan’s aunt and uncle were angry with him because he had taken a box of tomatoes without their permission. They attacked him with an axe, causing fatal head injuries.
Case Status:
Joli Ram (Uncle), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Thakri Devi (Aunt), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Sources:
JK Couple Gets Life Imprisonment For Disabled Nephew’s Murder
Udhampur couple gets life for killing disabled nephew
2016 Murder Case: Udhampur Court Awards Life Sentence To Couple
Life-term awarded to couple for murder
Name: Kaushal Pawar.
Died: July 8, 2016.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Carbon monoxide toxicity.
Location: Belapur, India.
Disability: Cognitively disabled.
Details:
Kaushal’s father killed him and committed suicide by way of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Case status:
Mahesh Kumar Pawar (Father), deceased.
Source:
Man uses carbon monoxide to kill disabled son, self in Navi Mumbai
Govt. employee kills disabled son, self
Mumbai: Police to file murder case against man who killed son, committed suicide
Name: Mirudula.
Died: July 7, 2016.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head and internal injury.
Location: Chintadripet, Chennai, India.
Disability: Stuttering.
Details:
Mirudula’s parents put her in speech therapy, and became frustrated when she did not respond well to it. She allegedly died because her parents tried to cure her speech impediment through “shock treatment”–they beat her, threatened her with a knife, tried to suffocate her with a pillow, and eventually hit her so hard that they caused fatal injuries to her head and internal organs.
Case status:
X Gerald (Adoptive father), charged with murder.
Sangeetha (Adoptive mother), under suspicion.
Source:
Lawyer held for murder, year after adopted daughter’s death
Year after adopted child dies due to torture, heartless parent arrested in Chennai
Chennai: Lawyer held for murder of daughter
Name: Venkatesh.
Died: May 22, 2016.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Disability: Leg amputee, alcoholism.
Details:
Venkatesh worked as a stone-cutter until he suffered a leg injury, which got infected so badly that he had to have the leg amputated.
During a domestic dispute, his wife allegedly became so angry that she hit him over the head with a metal rod, killing him.
Case status:
Suguna (Wife), also called Sugunamma, charged with murder.
Source:
Wife smashes husband’s head for selling mobile phone to buy toddy
Drunk housewife kills handicapped husband in frustration
Hyderabad: Drunk wife murders handicapped husband
Pregnant woman killed in accident
Name Unknown.
Died: April 6, 2016.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Khamariya, India.
Disability: HIV/AIDS.
Details:
This 40-year-old man was a truck driver by profession. He had fallen ill, been diagnosed with AIDS, and kept it secret, fearing stigma. When his wife and father-in-law found out that he was HIV-positive, they allegedly conspired with other in-laws to strangle him to death.
Case status:
His wife, father-in-law, and two relatives were charged with murder.
Source:
AIDS patient killed by wife, in-laws in India
Wife And In-Laws Kill Bareilly Man After He Was Diagnosed HIV Positive
AIDS patient killed by wife, in-laws in India
AIDS patient in India allegedly killed by wife, in-laws
Name: Payal Sawant.
Died: November 30, 2015.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Paraplegic, intellectually disabled.
Details:
Payal and her 8-year-old sister were tortured by their stepmother when their father was away at work. Payal’s stepmother tried to pass off her death as a natural one, but police saw the marks of abuse on her body. Payal may have died when she was strangled, or when she had her head slammed into a wall.
Case status:
Pratibha Sawant (Stepmother); convicted of torture and murder, sentenced to life in prison.
Source:
Bhandup woman held for torturing, killing stepdaughter
Mumbai: Stepmother booked for killing 6-year-old mentally unstable girl
Woman gets life for torture, murder of six-year-old stepdaughter
Name: Vishal Gaikwad.
Died: October 27, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Pashan, Pune, India.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability.
Details:
Vishal’s father killed him and his mother (Arati Gaikwad, age 35) with an axe before hanging himself.
Case status:
Raju Laxman Gaikwad (Father), deceased.