NAGPUR: Police are probing whether a 17-year-old girl acted alone in the killing of her 45-year-old father after a deep skull injury left him dead following an alleged sexual assault attempt at their home in MIDC police limits late Monday.The girl allegedly picked up a wooden cricket bat and struck her father on the head while trying to resist him after he came home drunk and allegedly tried to sexually assault her, police said. He collapsed in a pool of blood and was later declared dead by doctors. An autopsy conducted on Tuesday found deep injuries to his skull.The nature of the injury has now prompted investigators to examine whether the girl, who is of slight build, could have inflicted the fatal blow on her own. Her 14-year-old brother was also present at the house when the incident took place, and police are checking whether he had any role.Investigators are also looking into the possible involvement of the girl’s mother or a family friend, while questioning relatives and neighbours and verifying their statements against other evidence. Police said a detailed medical report is awaited before the exact sequence of events and role of each person can be established.According to police, the girl and her younger brother were at home when their father returned in an intoxicated state, hurled abuses and allegedly molested her. She tried to free herself during the struggle and picked up a cricket bat that was lying nearby, striking him on the head.The man’s wife informed police about the incident. After her statement was recorded, MIDC police registered a murder FIR and took the minor into custody. Proceedings are being carried out under the laws applicable to juveniles.During preliminary questioning, family members reportedly told police that the man was an alcoholic and had allegedly been making unwanted advances towards his daughter for nearly two years. No complaint, however, had been lodged against him earlier.Senior officers said the case is being investigated from two angles — the alleged sexual assault of the minor and the possibility that others were involved in the man’s death. Police are examining the statements of family members and neighbours, medical findings and other evidence to determine exactly how the fatal injury was caused.
