Madhya Pradesh sisters’ deaths: Murder claim turns into accidental drowning, rivalry angle emerges

INDORE: A suspected double murder of two sisters in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district took a dramatic turn during a police investigation on Tuesday, which found that the children had accidentally drowned in a well and that the incident was later portrayed as a murder to settle an old village rivalry.

The bodies of four-year-old Tribika and five-year-old Shivani were found near a water reservoir in Jampada village on Monday night, triggering allegations that rivals had drowned them during a dispute meeting. However, police said the girls had died after falling into a well while grazing goats with their mother, and some villagers allegedly shifted the bodies and spread a false murder narrative to implicate members of a rival group.

However, the police investigation on Tuesday found no evidence of murder.

According to investigators, the girls died after accidentally falling into a well while grazing goats with their mother.

“The incident occurred during a community meeting to resolve a social dispute involving the Kherkheda sarpanch and a woman from Petlawadiya. During the commotion, two children fell into a well. Their mother told us she had gone to graze goats with them when the younger child slipped and fell in. The mother and elder daughter also entered the well while trying to save her. Two villagers attempted a rescue, but the children died. Since the deaths coincided with the dispute, allegations were made against people from Petlawadiya. We have rounded up some individuals for questioning. A case of unnatural death has been registered and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination,” said ASP Parul Belapurkar.

Police said tensions had been simmering between two groups over a long-standing social dispute involving a married woman. Members of the woman’s in-laws’ family had arrived in Jampada in SUVs to attend a traditional tribal community meeting when an argument reportedly broke out between the rival sides.

As news of the children’s deaths spread, villagers accused members of the visiting group of throwing the sisters into the water body. The allegation quickly escalated into a suspected double murder case, prompting senior police officers and a forensic team to launch an intensive investigation.

During the inquiry, the children’s mother told police that the younger girl had accidentally slipped into a well while they were grazing goats. She jumped in to save her daughter, and the elder child also entered the well in an attempt to help. Two villagers subsequently entered the well to rescue them, but the sisters could not be saved.

Investigators later found that some villagers had allegedly used the incident to target the rival group. Police suspect the bodies were shifted from the well to a nearby reservoir area after the accident, and rumours were circulated that outsiders attending the dispute meeting were responsible for the deaths.

Around 21 people were questioned during the probe. Police said some individuals involved in retrieving the bodies admitted to spreading the murder allegation. Further action will be taken after the post-mortem report and the completion of the investigation.