A 40-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the deaths of her four children, whom she pushed into a well during an alleged suicide attempt in 2024.
Sugnabai Banjara, a resident of Pipalkheda village in Mandsaur district, was convicted in the case by the First Additional Sessions Court in Garoth. Judge Niranjan Kumar Panchal awarded her separate life sentences for the death of each of her four children.
The incident took place in July 2024 following a serious dispute between Sugnabai and her husband, Rodsingh Banjara. According to the police and court records, the couple had been married for around 17 years and had a troubled relationship.
Police said Sugnabai had accused her husband of physically harassing her and beating the children. On the night of July 13, 2024, he allegedly assaulted the family and forced them out of their house during heavy rain.
Sugnabai then took her children to a nearby Anganwadi centre, where they spent the night. The following morning, she went with the children to their agricultural field.
According to the prosecution, Sugnabai pushed all four children into a well before jumping in herself. Villagers noticed what had happened and managed to rescue her from the well. However, the four children could not be saved.
The children were identified as two-year-old Kartik, four-year-old Muskan, seven-year-old Anushka and nine-year-old Banty.
Garoth police registered a murder case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. During the investigation, police also booked Sugnabai’s husband under provisions related to cruelty and abetment of suicide.
Additional Superintendent of Police Hemlata Kuril said the investigation found that Sugnabai had been facing alleged harassment at home. According to the officer, the woman told police that her husband had been physically abusing her and the children.
The prosecution presented the circumstances surrounding the incident before the court, following which the judge convicted Sugnabai and imposed four separate life terms.
The case has also drawn attention to the circumstances leading up to the deaths. Police records indicate that the family had spent the night away from home after the alleged domestic violence before the tragedy occurred the next morning.
While Sugnabai has been convicted for the deaths of her children, the case against her husband relates to separate allegations of cruelty and abetment of suicide.
The court’s decision brings a legal conclusion to the murder case, while the allegations against the husband remain a separate part of the proceedings.
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