HC refuses bail to Thane man who flung step-daughter in Ulhas river

Justice AM Badar rejected Saini’s bail plea, taking into consideration Saini’s strained relationship with his wife and the mother of the child and the possibility that he would repeat his actions.

The Bombay high court last week refused to grant bail to Tulsiram Saini, a Thane resident who has been accused of attempting to kill his 9-year-old stepdaughter by drowning her in Ulhas river.

Saini was taken into custody at the Vartak Nagar police station on Tuesday (File pic for representation)

Justice AM Badar rejected Saini’s bail plea, taking into consideration Saini’s strained relationship with his wife and the mother of the child and the possibility that he would repeat his actions. “The accused committed a heinous act by kidnapping and breaching the sacred trust of the child. Taking her to a river, pushing her in, and leaving her there to die in the dark of the night is nothing but an act of the devil disguised as a human,” he said.

The incident occurred in the evening on June 29, 2016 when Saini took his 9-year-old stepdaughter Ekta to the river on the pretext of buying a school bag and text books.

According to Ekta’s statement recorded by the police, she survived by holding on to the aquatic weed and crying for help whenever she noticed human movement near the river. She held on for her life all night was rescued in the wee hours of the morning by a security guard on duty nearby who heard her cries.

Saini was booked by the Vartak Nagar police in Thane for kidnapping and attempting to kill the girl after the mother lodged a complaint. He committed the crime due to his troubled relationship with his estranged wife, who lives separately and works in a bar to make ends meet.