In Bihar’s Araria district, 35-year-old Poonam Devi received a death sentence on November 27, 2025, from District Additional Sessions Judge-IV Rabi Kumar for the brutal murder of her 10-year-old daughter Shivani on July 10, 2023, after the child witnessed her mother’s affair with villager Rupesh Singh and threatened to inform her father Chandan Singh, who was earning in Punjab.
The court classified it as a “rarest of rare” case that “shakes society’s conscience,” citing extreme brutality where Poonam poisoned Shivani with organophosphorus pesticide mixed in fish, slit her throat with Rupesh’s aid, and hid the body in a maize field; evidence included five prosecution witnesses, post-mortem reports showing poisoning and throat injury, and Forensic Science Laboratory viscera analysis.
Narpatganj police filed the FIR on chowkidar Bhagwan Kumar’s report the same day, submitted a chargesheet on September 22, 2023, framed charges by December 23, and completed the fast-track trial by January 2024; Additional Public Prosecutor Prabha Kumari stated “motherhood itself stood defeated” amid the convict’s lust, with no appeals or stays reported yet as the sentence awaits high court confirmation under Section 302 IPC, alongside fines and imprisonment for related charges.
Court’s Stern Verdict
The Narpatganj sessions court packed with observers delivered the death penalty, ruling the crime’s manner, poisoning to unconsciousness followed by near-decapitation, demonstrated profound moral collapse and brutality unfit for reform.
Judge Rabi Kumar emphasised how the act shattered human bonds, supported by 12 documentary exhibits like the post-mortem and FSL reports confirming the toxic pesticide. Prosecutor Prabha Kumari argued for capital punishment, noting Poonam’s denial during charge-framing on January 2, 2024, but all witnesses corroborated the prosecution, leading to conviction; defence counsel Kishor Kumar Das sought leniency, yet the bench prioritised societal shock over mercy.
Detailed Timeline of Horror
The tragedy ignited on June 21, 2023, when Shivani accidentally saw her mother in a compromising position with Rupesh Singh, whispering her intent to tell Chandan upon his Punjab return, heightening Poonam’s panic as he neared homecoming.
On July 10, she purchased pesticide from a nearby market, cooked it into fish to sedate the child, then with Rupesh’s help slit the throat, stabbed the abdomen, and concealed the body behind their Ram Ghat Kashipur home in a maize field. No relatives reported the disappearance initially, but chowkidar Bhagwan Kumar’s alert prompted swift police action, recovery of the body, and arrest, exposing the plot amid rural silence.
Rural Strains and Legal Swiftness
This incident reflects deeper vulnerabilities in Bihar’s villages, where male migration for livelihood, like Chandan’s Punjab stint, leaves families isolated, fostering breakdowns as in parallel cases from Muzaffarpur or Saharsa.
The fast-track process, from FIR to sentencing in under 2.5 years, showcases efficient justice via witness testimonies and forensics, yet underscores gaps in preventive counselling. Community roles, via chowkidars, proved pivotal, highlighting needs for vigilance networks amid economic pressures.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This gut-wrenching betrayal demands urgent, empathy-led reforms: expanding rural counselling hubs, community dialogues on family strains from migration, and awareness campaigns promoting kindness over concealment to safeguard children and nurture harmony.
While justice via death penalty deters, true coexistence requires restorative support systems fostering dialogue and positive change, preventing such defeats of motherhood.
