In an incident that has shocked the nation again, a 2.5-year-old girl in Aligarh was choked to death by a man who had a fallout with her family over a loan of Rs. 10,000. Two men from the neighbourhood, Zahid and his accomplice Aslam, have been arrested for the crime and the nation is demanding justice for the little girl.
Initial Investigations
The dead body of the victim, Twinkle Sharma, was recovered on June 2, three days after she went missing. According to the police, the accused (Zahid) had an argument with the girl’s family, a night before she went missing, over a loan amounting to Rs 10,000 that he had taken from her grandfather. The family claimed that Zahid had threatened to take ‘revenge’ from them for the ‘humiliation’ caused to him by their heated argument.
On interrogation, Zahid confessed that he had lured the girl into his house by offering her a biscuit when she was playing outside his house. He then choked her with a dupatta and hid the body in his accomplice Aslam’s house before dumping it in the garbage.
Post Mortem Report Rules Out Rape
The incident garnered national attention after the hashtag #JusticeForTwinkle and #JusticeForTwinkleSharma started trending on social media with politicians and Bollywood celebrities tweeting about it. One tweet claimed that the girl was raped and her eyes were gouged; however, the postmortem report has ruled out rape and confirmed death by strangulation. Aligarh police also confirmed that that the child’s eyes were not gouged out, but appeared so because of the decomposed state in which the body was found.
Widespread Protests
There have been widespread protests in Aligarh with people blocking the roads demanding justice for Twinkle. Following the protests, five policemen have been suspended for neglecting their duties. Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have also condemned the murder and demanded the Uttar Pradesh police to punish the killers.
The Family’s Reaction
The victim’s father has threatened that he will sit on an indefinite fast if the police don’t arrest Zahid’s family. The victim’s mother has also made a serious allegation against the co-accused Aslam of raping his own 4-year-old daughter in the past. She has appealed PM Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath to award death penalty to the culprits.
Bollywood Demands Justice
B-town reacted with shock and expressed their anger over the inhuman act. Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Abhishek Bachchan, Sunny Leone and Arjun Kapoor have strongly reacted to the news.
Horrified, upset and angry to know about baby #TwinkleSharma! This is definitely not the kind of world we want for our children. We need immediate and strictest punishment for such a heinous crime. #JusticeForTwinkle
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) June 7, 2019
The barbaric rape and murder of #TwinkleSharma is a shame on humanity. Justice must be served.
— Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) June 6, 2019
Im sorry Twinkle that you had to you live in a world where Humans no longer understand Humanity!!!! May God look over you for Eternity as you are an Angel !!!! #ImSorry
— Sunny Leone (@SunnyLeone) June 6, 2019
What has happened to baby twinkle is. Heartbreaking and horrific. I pray for her and her family. I also urge people to not make this into a selfish agenda. This is a little girls death, not a reason to spread your hate.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 7, 2019
Deeply pained, saddened & shocked. We as a society have failed little #TwinkleSharma – my heart goes out to her family & loved ones. What kind of an unsafe world are we creating for our children. Strictest punishment & immediate justice is the only way to reduce these crimes.
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) June 6, 2019
Just so disgusted and angered hearing about #TwinkleSharma. How can somebody even think of doing such a thing?!?! Speechless….
— Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) June 6, 2019
It is heartbreaking to hear about the horrific murder of the two and a half year old little girl In Aligarh. I would request @smritiirani to ensure that swift action is taken against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. #JusticeForTwinkle
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) June 6, 2019
Images: Twitter
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