A Saudi man reportedly beat his seven-year-old daughter to death in Riyadh after she told him that she does not love him. The incident took place on the day of Eid Al Adha, the feast of Sacrifice on 24 September, police sources said.
Yara, the victim, was living with her father in Riyadh for the last three months. Her mother had separated from her father and has been raising the child till she was seven years old. "Her father refused to allow her live with me and three months ago, she went to live with him in Riyadh as per the regulations. She did not wish to move in with him, and she was very unhappy," the mother told Saudi daily Al Watan.
On 24 September, the father asked the child if she loved him, to which she replied "I don't love you". Furious at the reaction, the angry father ripped off a pipe from the air conditioner in the room and hit her with it. He then smashed her head with a metal can, police said.
The father in his statement told the police that he was trying to educate her. After punishing the child, he locked her up in a room. But later when he checked up on her, he saw that her condition had deteriorated. The child died on the way to the hospital, he told police.
The case is still pending in the court and the investigation is still on. The father is yet to be arrested.
But as the reports of the incident appeared in media, many in Saudi reacted with outrage against the actions of the father. "This is a most heinous crime and the criminal should be buried alive," Gulf News quoted a social media user, Abu Nawas.
Another social media user, Noor said "He should be put to death without delay."
