Ahmedabad: Vimal Prajapati, the father of two girls who died of alleged food poisoning in Chandkheda, on Wednesday gave media interviews reiterating that neither he nor his family was involved in the deaths, and said no one should jump to conclusions until forensic analysis reports are out. In the interview which went viral on X, he said, “I am in deep grief, and regret that I could not save my daughters. It was I who informed the police and demanded a postmortem to ascertain the cause of their deaths.”He added, “We have only reported the facts, which remains that the family fell ill only after consuming items made from the batter. There is no foul play from our side.” Three-month-old Raha and four-year-old Mishri died a day apart under what police are calling suspicious circumstances. Their parents, Vimal and Bhavna also took ill and had to be hospitalized, according to case details. While Vimal was grilled on Friday, Bhavna was questioned on Monday evening as police also probe the passive infanticide angle in the case of Raha after finding a diary entry in which Bhavna expressed desire to have a male child.Bhavna told police that it was written after Mishri’s birth and it implied that their family would be complete if the next child was a male.She also blamed Raha and Mishri’s deaths on contamination in the dosa batter bought from a store. Vimal said “rumour-mongering” and “blaming without any conclusive evidence” are causing further agony to the already aggrieved family. “Who will be responsible if the misinformation causes my family further harm?” he asked.Vimal maintained that the girls were not discriminated against and were well looked-after. He added that his parents are good people and that the family was devastated on seeing the children fall ill and die. “My mother, Kusum, and my wife have been inconsolable. I too have spent nights crying . Everyone in the family is in a state of shock,” Vimal said.On April 1, Vimal had bought 3kg of dosa batter from a dairy in the area. This food item, he said, was what led to the deaths. Police have found the parents’ claim unconvincing, especially after no other customer who bought batter from the same shop reported illness.
