The global community was left in shock following the brutal murder of two-year-old Twinkle Sharma in Aligarh, India. The young child suffered unimaginable cruelty before her tragic death.
Twinkle Sharma was subjected to heinous acts by two men, Zahid and Aslam, who resided near her family’s residence. The duo mercilessly tortured the innocent toddler, including throttling her, gouging out her eyes, and mutilating her hands because her father could not repay a debt of 5,000 rupees, approximately £42.
Authorities suspect that besides the physical abuse, the child may have also been a victim of sexual assault. Twinkle Sharma had gone missing since May 31, and her remains were discovered by witnesses who saw wild dogs dragging her body from a trash bin.
The heartbroken mother, Shilpa, expressed her anguish at the horrific sight of her daughter’s body in the garbage dump. The tragic incident sparked outrage in India, with citizens taking to social media to demand justice for Twinkle Sharma using the hashtag #TwinkleSharma.
Prominent figures like Bollywood actor Ayushman Khurrana and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh condemned the appalling act and called for severe punishment for the perpetrators. The news of Twinkle’s death brought to light the issue of child killings in India and the need for stricter laws to protect vulnerable children.
In response to the alarming rate of rape cases, especially involving children, the Indian government had previously introduced capital punishment for such heinous crimes after public outcry following a similar incident in 2013. Drastic measures are deemed necessary as statistics show a high number of reported rapes in the country, with a significant portion involving minors.