A stepmother has been arrested in West Bengal's Murshidabad district for allegedly beating a four-year-old girl to death, police said on Sunday, according to IANS. The child is not being named.

Source: IANS via AsiaPost

The incident took place in the Katabari Sarkarpara area, under the Sagarpara police station area in Murshidabad. Police identified the arrested woman as Mousumi Khatun. The allegation against her has not been proven in court.

According to police, the child's father lives in Kerala for work. The child's birth mother left home about three years ago, and the father later married the accused.

Local residents alleged that the child had been subjected to physical and mental torture for a long time, was not fed properly and was not allowed to go to school, and had allegedly been beaten several times before. These are allegations reported by locals, not findings of the investigation.

Police said initial information suggested the child was beaten on Saturday night as well. When her condition deteriorated, she was taken to Sagarpara Primary Health Centre, where doctors declared her dead.

Police said the body has been sent to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital for autopsy. Local residents and relatives have demanded strict punishment for the accused.