PATNA: A five-year-old girl was playing with her toys just a few steps away from her mother’s body, apparently unaware that the woman lying motionless on the bed would never wake up again.The child kept playing inside the house while her 22-year-old mother, Asha Devi, allegedly lay dead after being beaten to death with a stick by her husband.The disturbing incident was reported from Madhurapur Ward 6 under Bidupur police station in Vaishali district.Asha’s family members discovered the alleged murder on Sunday after a local resident called them and informed them that their daughter had died.When the family reached the house, they allegedly found the door open and the house deserted. Asha’s body was lying on the bed, while her five-year-old daughter Anshika Kumari was alone in the courtyard, playing with her dolls.Asha’s father, Ganesh Paswan, said, “the entire family had fled before they arrived, leaving the child alone in the house. The little girl was still calling out for her mother, apparently expecting her to wake up and care for her.”Asha was a resident of Paharpur village, Ward 12, under Jurawanpur police station in Raghopur block of Vaishali. She had married Sujit Paswan, son of Vilas Paswan of Madhurapur village , around two-and-a-half years ago.It was the second marriage for both Asha and Sujit. Sujit’s first wife had died following an illness and had left behind two children. Asha’s first husband had also died of illness, and she had a daughter, Anshika, from that marriage.According to the family, both sides were aware of the children before the marriage. However, Asha’s relatives alleged that the children were frequently a source of disputes between the couple.The family alleged that the couple again quarrelled over the issue on Sunday night, following which Sujit allegedly assaulted Asha with a stick and killed her. The allegations are yet to be independently established by police.Bidupur SHO Ravi Prakash reached the spot with a police team after receiving information about the incident. The police inspected the house and began collecting evidence.“A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has collected evidence from the scene. Asha’s body was handed over to her family after a postmortem examination to establish the exact cause and circumstances of death”, SHO said.He added that police have launched a search for Sujit and other family members who allegedly fled after the incident.
