Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Aug 23: The 12-year-old daughter of Ajit Dashavatare, a personal assistant to NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, was found dead under suspicious circumstances near her home in Baramati in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday, police said.
The girl was found in the Sainagar area of Rui village in Baramati tehsil. After receiving information about the incident, police reached the spot and began an investigation. A forensic team was also called to the location, while the body was sent to Baramati Government Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.
According to preliminary information, the girl had a minor argument with her mother on Saturday night and subsequently left home in anger. When she did not return, her family approached the police and lodged a missing-person complaint. Her body was found near the family residence on Sunday morning.
Police have not yet established how the girl died or whether the death was accidental, suicidal or involved any foul play. Officials said the investigation was being conducted from all possible angles and that the circumstances leading to her death would be established after further inquiry and the post-mortem examination.
Rohit Pawar also reached Baramati following the incident and met police and medical officials. According to Marathi media reports, he sought information about the investigation and the circumstances surrounding the girl's death.
There was initially some confusion over the girl's relationship with Pawar. While some early reports based on PTI information described her as the daughter of Pawar's personal assistant, Hindustan Times reported that Pune Police later confirmed she was the daughter of Ajit Dashavatare, who works as Pawar's personal assistant. Other reports, including The New Indian Express and India Today, also identified Dashavatare as her father.
The incident has drawn attention because of Dashavatare's association with the NCP (SP) MLA, but police have not indicated any connection between the political association and the girl's death. The case remains under investigation, and officials are examining the events between the girl's departure from home and the discovery of her body.
Police are expected to establish the exact cause and circumstances of death based on the post-mortem findings, forensic examination and the ongoing investigation. Further details are awaited.