Man feeds baby poison after failing to silence cries

Empties pesticide bottle into infant’s mouth and flees home

Aman in Bihar killed his 18-month-old son by feeding him poison after losing his temper over his frequent cries. The man is in hiding after committing the crime. The incident took place at a village in Katihar, an eastern Bihar district more than 300km from Patna, on Saturday.

According to reports, the baby’s mother had gone out leaving the infant with his father when he started crying. The man tried to calm him down but couldn’t. Eventually, he emptied a pesticide bottle into the baby’s mouth, leading to his death.

“When I rushed back home after hearing the baby’s cries, I saw my child lying lifeless in the lap of his father and an empty pesticide bottle still in his hand,” the baby’s mother Poonam Devi said yesterday.

According to her, she instantly snatched the empty poison bottle from her husband and rushed to a nearby government health centre with the baby, but it was too late.

The accused, identified as Munna Mandal, drives an autorickshaw for a living.