A man from Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, received a life sentence for using a sickle to open his pregnant wife’s abdomen, attempting to determine the baby’s gender. The incident occurred in September 2020 when Panna Lal, residing in Budaun’s Civil Lines, assaulted his wife Anita.
Despite being married for 22 years and having five daughters, Lal desired a son, leading to frequent arguments. Despite efforts from Anita’s family to resolve the disputes, Lal threatened divorce and remarriage to father a son. During a heated argument over the baby’s gender, Lal threatened to cut Anita’s stomach open, and in the ensuing struggle, he used a sickle to inflict severe injuries.
Anita, eight months pregnant, suffered life-threatening wounds, resulting in the loss of her baby. She managed to escape to the street, where her brother rescued her, while Lal fled the scene. Anita survived the attack but endured significant physical and emotional trauma. Even though she survived the attack, her baby, a boy, died due to the attack.
During his court testimony, the accused, Panna Lal, claimed that his wife had self-inflicted the wounds to falsely accuse him. He alleged that Anita orchestrated the incident to frame him due to an ongoing property dispute with her brothers.
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