Faridabad: Four-year-old Vanshika Jaiswal, who was allegedly beaten to death by her father for getting a maths writing assignment wrong, was no stranger to thrashing, according to neighbours in Jharsentli.They alleged that her father Krishna Jaiswal, a private firm employee, would slap and scold her for even trivial issues whenever he came home drunk. The little one had, in fact, conditioned herself to absorb the shock and not cry in front of her father, who would get even more angry seeing her tears, the neighbours alleged.
On Wednesday, Vanshika was repeatedly struck with a rolling pin and slammed onto the floor by Krishna because she failed to do a writing assignment properly. Krishna, who took a bleeding Vanshika to hospital but claimed she had fallen off the stairs, was arrested on a complaint by her mother.“He would beat her every day. She would not cry in front of her father because he was an addict. He consumed liquor and drugs. When her father was home, she had to study,” said Anshu Kumari, Vanshika’s cousin and a Class 3 student. Vanshika, Anshu said, was a quiet child who rarely complained. “Bahut masoom thi (she was too innocent). We would play every day after school,” she said, adding that Vanshika often spoke about her future during their games. “She used to say she wanted to become a police officer when she grows up.” Neighbours described a home where fear shaped the daily life of Vanshika and her brother. “They wouldn’t roam outside like our children. Their play was restricted to the complex. They were too scared of their father,” said Seema Devi, who lives in the same settlement rented largely by migrant workers from UP and Bihar. Siddhant, an eight-year-old neighbour, said Vanshika did household chores well beyond her age. “Pari (her nickname) did all the domestic work. She washed utensils, swept, and mopped. And when her father returned, she had to study as well,” he added.Guddu Yadav, a neighbour and labour contractor, echoed that. “She was such a small child, but she did all the household chores. My children are older than her, but they won’t do these things. She was very responsible, just like her name, Pari,” he said. Neighbours alleged Krishna’s drinking was routine. “Vanshika’s father drank daily. That was his routine. But it was only after Vanshika’s death, when her mother gave a statement to police, that we understood the extent of the torture they endured,” Yadav said.“Pari’s mother told police that he didn’t just drink. She said he used to eat bhang ka gola. Not 1, but 6,” he added.Seema Devi, another neighbour, said she often tried to stop the child from working in the cold. “I used to tell her, ‘don’t wash utensils, it’s cold. Your mother will come,'” she said. “But she would still do it. Her mother went for duty daily in the day shift, and her father used to drink every day.” Police said both parents worked for a private firm in alternating shifts, with the mother on day duty and the father working nights and staying home during the day. Vanshika was not enrolled in school and was taught at home by her father. According to neighbours, the morning Vanshika died began routinely. Her mother, Ranjita, left for work as usual around 8am. “Before leaving, Vanshika asked for food. Her mother said her father would give her food,” Siddhant said.Instead, neighbours alleged, Krishna asked the child to complete a writing assignment and then left the house to drink. “When he came back, she was already asleep. He was so angry that he started thrashing her,” Siddhant said.
