Teen killed in scuffle after dad falls on her with knife

Mumbai, Mar 1: A petty quarrel between neighbours ended in a tragedy at Motilal Nagar slums in Goregaon (west) on Monday night as a 17-year-old college girl was killed after her father fell on her during the scuffle and the kitchen knife he was holding pierced her chest.

Goregaon police said Meghna Agavane's father Rajesh (41), a driver, lost his balance and fell on her when their neighbours pushed them. Police have arrested six members of their neighbour's family— Subhash Goderao (48), his wife Manda (42), their two daughters and two nieces.

According to police, the problem started on Monday morning when Meghna was washing clothes outside her home. As the lane is very narrow, the soap water splashed on the Goderaos, leading to a quarrel. The matter reached the local police and a non-cognizable offence was registered against four women from both families. They were let off with a warning.

"When Meghna's sister Puja (22) returned home from work around 8pm and learnt about the quarrel, she went to the Goderaos' home to enquire about the incident. However, it snowballed into a scuffle. Hearing the commotion, Rajesh, who was cutting vegetables at home, rushed out holding a kitchen knife in hand. Rajesh lost his balance when the Goderaos pushed him and fell on his daughters with the knife in his hand. The knife pierced Meghna's chest," Deputy commissioner of police (zone XI) Vikram Deshmane said. She was rushed to Siddharth Hospital where she was declared dead before admission.

In her complaint to police and while speaking TOI, Puja said, "I took my sister to the neighbour's home to ask them about the reason for the morning fight. However, they again fought with us. The five women from the Goderao family assaulted my sister and it caused her death."

Police have booked the girl's father under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), but have not arrested him. The six members of the Goderao family have been booked under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence) and 323 (hurt).

"We are collecting statements from people who were present there to verify the claim of the victim's father," a police officer said.