Parents sacrifice 4-yr-old girl to become rich

[pokerfan]

Speechless...

The parents then put their daughter Kanni into the pit amid chanting of “mantra” and lit the fire. The girl, who was also mercillessely beaten, was half buried in the pit.

The parents had stuffed a piece of cloth in the mouth of the little girl so that her cries could not be heard by any one in the village, sources said.

The badly burnt body of the girl was later buried on the same spot by digging a deep pit, sources said. The grandmother of the girl was also present during the rituals, sources said.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/89585/parents-sacrifice-4-yr-old.html

[hlthe2b]

1. Stories like this make me wish there was a hell..

(beyond the one of their creation)

[Dorian Gray]

11. There is

and that little child was put through it. Poor baby.

[EC]

2. It's all sick

How sick does someone have to be to even tell them they'd be rich if they did this? i.e. the exorcist..

[Cirque du So-What]

3. It doesn't matter if you're Xian, Muslim, Hindu, or animist

Superstitions and zealotry are killers.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

41. Yes, actually, it does.

If this girl's parents had been followers of a different religion, or better yet of none, she'd probably still be alive.

It's not strongly-held beliefs in general that are the problem, it's specific incorrect beliefs, whether held strongly or not.

[CoffeeCat]

4. Sick people...

...use religion to justify their psychopathic actions.

Especially the "exorcist"--cajoling parents into torturing
their innocent children. This "exorcist" gets off on
causing pain, so he uses religion to catch some prey.

Very hard to fathom how human beings could be so depraved.

[Twillig]

47. Healthy people are motivated by religion

to perform psychopathic actions.

[burnsei sensei]

5. It reminds me much of the anthropological

narratives of the Tophets in Carthage.
People sacrificed their children in desperate times, and to gain some small grain of assurance that the future might be good.

[phantom power]

6. Oh fucking hell

:(

[skepticscott]

7. Well, don't forget

there is no difference between those who are adamant in their beliefs and those who are "adamant" in their disbelief. According to some, anyway.

[onager]

8. Well, of course not. And we must respect all beliefs...

Just like Gen. Sir Charles James Napier did, when he ran into a spot of multi-cultural trouble in India (Pakistan nowadays).

The locals practiced the charming religious ritual of sati or "suttee" - burning widows alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands.

Napier banned that custom, and a delegation of local Holy Men visited him to complain.

His response was a model of fairness and respect for all beliefs, IMO:

"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well.

We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them.

Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_James_Napier

Napier is rumored to have been an atheist. My usual 2-minute Google couldn't confirm that, but a lot of contemporary accounts seem to call him "eccentric." Which may have been a nice Victorian euphemism for disbelief.

[Nihil]

45. Whilst I agree with the body of your post (and think it an excellent quote) ...

... Napier wasn't an athiest, he was a Freemason.

"He was made a Mason on June 16, 1807 in Doyle's Lodge of Fellowship,
Guernsey, England (sic) and in Nov. 1848 became an honorary member
of Union Lodge Limerick, Ireland."

The former date was (well) before he served in India whilst the
latter was (just) after, hence he wasn't an athiest at the time
of the "custom" quote.


In addition, in his own words:

"I believe in a Creator because we are created, and that He enters
into all out thoughts and actions. ... I do not, so far as my present
judgment leads me, believe that Christ was God, for many reasons ..."

His response to the "local holy men" is one that has stuck in my mind
for many years so I just thought I'd pipe up on that. HTH.


First quote from Denslow & Truman:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D-cCeOEXGyoC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=Charles+James+Napier+freemason&source=bl&ots=thxgY9OEfS&sig=M8jjVoOBgZYluRgnSN1lLOe5Sr4&hl=en&ei=R8xzTJ_nGIqRjAe00K2HCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Second from Napier:
http://books.google.com/books?id=qyw6AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA386#v=onepage&q&f=false

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

9. "The parents had stuffed a piece of cloth in the mouth of the little girl so that her cries could

not be heard by any one in the village, sources said ... The ghastly incident came to light on Tuesday when neighbours found vermillion, flowers, incense sticks and other items"
Parents sacrifice 4-yr-old girl to become rich
Sanjay Pandey, Lucknow, Aug 18, DHNS
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/89585/parents-sacrifice-4-yr-old.html

"Villagers .. informed the police after they heard Kanni's screams"
News : Couple sacrifices daughter to attain wealth
http://movies.sulekha.com/news/entertainment/news/couple-sacrifices-daughter-to-attain-wealth.htm

"The body, which was found buried in the courtyard, had multiple burn injuries. It appeared that the girl was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon"
Couple sacrifices 4-yr-old daughter in UP to 'attain wealth'
IANS, Aug 18, 2010, 01.01pm IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Couple-sacrifices-4-yr-old-daughter-in-UP-to-attain-wealth/articleshow/6329991.cms

"The body of their daughter Kanni was recovered late Tuesday evening from their house in Sitapur district's Dahelikushepa village"
http://movies.sulekha.com/news/entertainment/news/couple-sacrifices-daughter-to-attain-wealth.htm

"A five-year-old girl was allegedly murdered ... in Daheli village"
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/minor-girl-murdered-by-family/239473.html

So where exactly did this occur, Daheli or Dahelikushepa? Was it discovered because people heard screams or because people found incense? Was the body buried in the house or in the courtyard?

[struggle4progress]

10. Let's note several other oddities: "Kanni" simply means "unmarried girl" and "mantra" is a

word meaning something like "a chant"

It's very unlikely that the girl in this alleged event was actually named "Kanni"

And it's very unlikely that everyone stood around chanting "mantra"

[trotsky]

12. Jebus Fucking Koresh

Leave it to you to dishonor the memory of this poor little girl and soften any possible criticism of religion by desperately trying to find some reason to doubt some minor detail of the reporting. Sadly this is nothing new for you.

[struggle4progress]

13. I'm fascinated by media issues. This part of India was traditionally an important Sufi region, and

of course there's been some history of prejudice in India between Hindu and Muslim. So it may be worthwhile to inquire into the story further, to determine whether there are urban legend qualities present. The story is now several days old, with no updates indicating whether the alleged manhunt continues or has ended -- and since the story has been reported so far with various inconsistencies and anonymous attributions, I should not really expect to see any updates

[laconicsax]

15. +1

Some really have no shame.

[struggle4progress]

17. "Facts first, analysis second." Stories like are often quite unreliable, and they serve

to distract attention from real events; see, for example, these threads from last summer:

12 self-immolate in bizarre ritual in Peru
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=210631

Peru: mass grave found in Bagua, Parish Priest says
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=210727

Peru Archbishop calls for dialogue after killings
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=210869

In that case, there was a significant protest by the local population against state authorities, which was met with considerable violence and the disappearance of a number of people -- but here in the R/T forum there was only interest in what may well have been a cover story about a bunch of burned bodies allegedly associated with some bizarre religious cult

[laconicsax]

21. Clearly you're well practiced.

"If somebody objects that you have gone off on a tangent, you simply deny that and explain how very important context is to understanding whatever it was that was being spoken of. A little practice -- and you're good to go."-struggle4progress

[struggle4progress]

22. Well, I think you're calling me out on a now-archived three-year-old thread, but

Lost-in-FL (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-18-07 09:08 PM
Original message
I NEED AN ANSWER STAT!!! Right X-tian wing nut job ...
struggle4progress (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-20-07 01:42 AM
Response to Original message
84. What's the religion class actually supposed to be about?
My advice is to ignore pathetic garbage like this completely, if that is possible ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=112845&mesg_id=112845

I tried to give solid advice in that thread about how to deal with a certain kind of crazy-ass wingnut disruptor, but I suppose YMMV. I have noticed that you recently decided to cite repeatedly that little antique snippet out of context

In any case, it has nothing to do with the present thread, which concerns an allegation about a supposed event in rural India -- with multiple inconsistent media versions floating around, which I generally regard as providing evidence that an urban legend is under construction. The next step is to seek more information. I don't think human sacrifice cults much survived the British occupation, and I'm under the impression they were typically centered around Kolkata, but I'm not an expert on the many and various traditional Indian religious ideas. Young girls in India may actually be at heightened risk for infanticide, though I think India officially denies this. I can't find the supposed village (by either name) on a map, but Sitapur in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is usually pretty soggy this time of year, though 2010 is not as wet as usual. Again: if the story really deserves attention, it's worth getting the facts right

[laconicsax]

26. Your response there was quite the boast.

You gave a concise summary of how you appear to respond to numerous threads. There's no need to rehash the argument about how it's an intentionally dishonest way to behave on a discussion board, so I'll let it stand as an admission of your methods.

[struggle4progress]

27. Do let us know if you find any more information on this "five-year-old .. allegedly murdered" story

(to use a quote from one of my upthread links)

And by "further information," I mean anything that might shed any light whatsoever: where exactly this is supposed to have occurred, whether or not it was pouring rain there on that monsoon season day, whether the villagers suspected heard the girl screaming or whether the girl's mouth was so stuffed with rags that she could make no noise, what the current status of the supposed manhunt (for the grisly killers) is, what current evidence exists for for human sacrifice cults in India and what their beliefs seem to be

Have a nice day :hi:

[laconicsax]

30. What if it doesn't conform to your "take?"

I suppose I should just remind you how very important the context is when you challenge its "usefulness" or "relevance."

[struggle4progress]

31. "Facts first, analysis second"

[laconicsax]

32. Keep that in mind when you post.

I doubt you will, but if looking for support for your ever-present analysis that event X didn't happen despite reports to the contrary is what makes you happy, do what you will. I've already remarked on my acknowledgement of your habits.

[struggle4progress]

33. I suppose I really should thank you for all of the insights you have brought to this thread:

the data you've provided on female infanticide in India, the updates you've provided on this tense manhunt, the useful and current information you've found about modern human sacrifice cults there, and so on

In a time when so many Americans are simply willing to sit at our keyboards and sneer like bigoted snotnoses at rumors about poor villagers elsewhere, of whom we really know nothing whatsoever, your dedication seeking the actual facts is a true inspiration to us all

I must apologize for my inadequate investigatory skills. I do wish I had been able to resolve whether this occurred in a place called Daheli or in a place called Dahelikushepa, and I do wish I could have located the village on a map. I regret I have been unable to confirm that there is a police inspector named Rajveer Singh near Lucknow and that I have only been able to discover is that someone by that name has been wandering through Uttar Pradesh pretending to be a government official. I am also sorry that I have been unable to confirm that the weather in Sitapur on Tuesday was suitable for burning somebody alive, it having been a rainy week in monsoon season there. I should have thought it would be easy to resolve inconsistencies in the reports, such as whether or not the victim alerted the neighbors with her screams or was unable to scream because gagged, but I am afraid this has simply been beyond my ability. I have no idea why I have been unable to find updated news on this manhunt or to discover any information about the criminals on the Uttar Pradesh police website

Of course, we should always believe whatever we read in the newspapers; to do otherwise would be unpatriotic; and I humbly beg your forgiveness if I have inadvertently created any impression that I harbor the slightest doubts about the inerrancy of today's media

[laconicsax]

34. You're welcome. n/t

[Odin2005]

14. Good God!

:cry:

[struggle4progress]

16. Infanticide is a regular though uncommon event: records of infanticides

in England can be found about as far back as homicide records were kept, for example

In the US, something like 650 children age 5 or under are murdered each year, something like 65% being killed by relatives and only about 3% by strangers. Here most victims are males and most are killed by males. See: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/children.cfm

The situation in India may be different. Wikipedia indicates there may be statistical evidence of preferential female infanticide there. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanticide#In_India

[darkstar3]

18. In short, your contribution to this thread

can be summed up in "we don't KNOW this killing was religiously motivated, so chill out."

A. Would you consider that a fair statement of your view?
B. If so, why couldn't you stop tooling around with your googley prowess and come out and just say it?

[struggle4progress]

20. My view is that the media very often carry sensational and unreliable stories:

in the mid-80's, for example, I remember a great rash of tales about alleged satanic killings. I see no reason to assume automatically that a story like this is true: if it alleged that some Jewish people had kidnapped a child to drink its blood, I think most of us would understandably roll our eyes and regard the tale as very likely nonsense. The versions I can find are vague and inconsistent. Of course, there are strange and unbalanced folk everywhere, and it is not that unusual for disturbed people to provide bizarre justifications for their acts, nor is it unknown that parents sometimes murder their children and sometimes do so in cruel ways. I simply say that knee-jerking about the supposed dementia of unknown people in obscure places is unlikely to be informative or educational: if the story deserves attention, it deserves enough attention to get the facts right -- and if one cannot be sure of the facts, then one has no grounds for further deductions

[struggle4progress]

19. Hmm. It's monsoon season. In the last week, Sidapur in Uttar Pradesh has gotten

1.5 inches (40 mm) of rain. It's gangetic plain: everything is soggy around there. People were actually drowning around there earlier this month. It's probably raining right now

http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/rfmaps/weekrain.htm

<edit:> Lucknow typically gets a foot of rain in August

http://worldweather.wmo.int/066/c00532.htm

Not the ideal time of year to plan to burn somebody alive in the courtyard

[struggle4progress]

24. Flood alert in many districs (Times of India)

TNN, Aug 21, 2010, 03.18am IST
... Maharajganj recorded 130 mm rains during last 24 hours, Fatehgarh 120 mm, Barabanki 100 mm, Jaunpur 60 mm, Sitapur 40 mm, Hathras 70 mm, Moradabad 50 mm, Baghpat 40 mm, Aligarh 40 mm and Rampur 40 mm.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Flood-alert-in-many-districs/articleshow/6384087.cms#ixzz0xG4wZNHp

[struggle4progress]

23. Still can't find any updates on the alleged manhunt, but "Shiv Kumar" seems to be a common name:

From the first page of my Google News search, some stories at most three days old containing "Shiv Kumar"



Photo :Shiv Kumar Pushpakar. Lamb rack smeared with garlic and black pepper is enlivened by balsamic vinegar and oven roasted ... http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article584075.ece

Prashant Saran ... has passed an order ... restraining Shiv Kumar Gupta ... http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/SEBI-passes-consent-order-in-matter-of-Genomics-Biotech/4910195598

Added Shiv Kumar, owner of Sareen Mens wear ... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Games-mess-bites-traders-in-Karol-Bagh-Paharganj/articleshow/6328437.cms

According to special prosecutor of CB-CID ... Shiv Kumar Sharma had lodged an FIR ... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/3-cops-get-jail-for-negligence-of-duty/articleshow/6327661.cms

But Shiv Kumar Sarin, the chairman of the six-member panel of doctors governing the Medical Council of India, said ... http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100818/jsp/frontpage/story_12823698.jsp


The appearance of a nondescript common name may be further reason to suspect this tale

[struggle4progress]

29. Hmm. No Shri Krishna, Rama Devi, Shiv Kumar on the Uttar Pradesh "Most Wanted" list

http://uppolice.up.nic.in/

You might expect a manhunt for a group that horribly murdered a little girl to merit rather more attention

[struggle4progress]

25. The name of the cited police inspector "Rajveer Singh" is interesting:

the former three-term chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh, has a son named Rajveer Singh; in January Kalyan formed a new party, the Jan Kranti Party, and rather promptly handed over control of the party to Rajeev; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalyan_Singh

And in February of this year, in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh:

Impersonator claimed rank of state minister
... A man was arrested on Wednesday for impersonating as a top government official ... The man, Rajveer Singh, claimed that he was the chairman of a state government agency ... http://news.in.msn.com/crimefile/article.aspx?page=0&cp-documentid=3617527&

[struggle4progress]

28. Hmm. Couldn't find a police station chief named Rajveer Singh on the Uttar Pradesh police website:

http://uppolice.up.nic.in/

I suppose if he's there, he might be in Jyoti Narayan's circle

Searching for an officer posted in Sitapur yields only a Rajendra Singh

http://uppolice.up.nic.in/

[struggle4progress]

35. It's now five days after this alleged event, and the conflicting stories

in the Times of India and Deccan Herald seem to have no follow-up: no news of autopsy results, no clarification about the manhunt. Most websites seem to have pulled the story

Those here in R/T concerned about children in Uttar Pradesh may be interested in the following current stories:

5-yr-old dies after falling into drain
TNN, Aug 23, 2010, 02.52am IST
LUCKNOW: Residents staged a demonstration after a 5-year-old kid succumbed to injuries that he had suffered after falling into a flooded drain at Banarasi Tola under Aliganj police station area on Sunday evening ... Around four children have been washed away following rains .. in the past .. month. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/5-yr-old-dies-after-falling-into-drain/articleshow/6400961.cms#ixzz0xO5PgLll

UP health officials in a fix as vaccine kills four kids
Published: Monday, Aug 23, 2010, 3:42 IST
By Deepak Gidwani | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA
Uttar Pradesh’s health department is in a fix over the death of four children after they were administered anti-measles vaccines. The children, all of them aged below two years, died within minutes after being vaccinated in three villages of Mohanlalganj on the outskirts of the state capital on Saturday. Officials said post mortems did not reveal any conclusive cause of death. They claimed the vaccines were perfectly in order. A four-member central team arrived here on Sunday to conduct an inquiry ... “There was nothing wrong with the vaccines,” Dr SP Ram, director general (family welfare) asserted. He pointed out that the vaccine vials carried the date of manufacture (December 2009) as well as expiry (November 2011), which made it clear that the vaccines were good for use. The central health department supplies the vaccines under a World Health Organisation programme. A senior doctor said even if the vaccines had gone bad due to poor storage conditions, at worst, they would be ineffective but not fatal. Also, vaccines from the same lot were administered to scores of other children in the same area without any complications ... http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_up-health-officials-in-a-fix-as-vaccine-kills-four-kids_1427324

[darkstar3]

36. Really?

You're posting stories in R/T now that have nothing at all to do with religion or theology in a lame attempt to swipe at people?

You know, just because you can Google something doesn't mean you should post it.

[struggle4progress]

37. Remind me: which religion exactly was purported to be involved in the story in the OP?

I was never able to establish that

[darkstar3]

38. Does it matter?

The OP doesn't specify which religion or theology is responsible for the actions described. Does that lack of description make your random Google search more appropriate? Does it make your "concern" comment any less banal? Does it do anything to make your post fit into the R/T forum?

[struggle4progress]

39. If the story is potentially important, then the details of the story are potentially important,

because (in some sense) the story IS nothing but the details, and we could not possibly hope to learn anything from the story without accurate details

But here in R/T I see a surprising lack of interest in such details

It might, of course, be a legitimate religious duty to be concerned with the welfare of children, even children far from us in Uttar Pradesh: then we should want to inquire into the things that might threaten them, such as floods or bad batches of vaccines

[darkstar3]

40. That doesn't remotely qualify as an answer.

Why am I not surprised?

[laconicsax]

46. And yet you take parts of Bible seriously.

The Bible contains several narratives that are nearer to complete fabrication than not, yet you blithely regard it with a definite degree of reverence and believe parts to be literally true simply because it suits your preconceived notions.

Tell me again how the details are important and that the context matters. If inconsistency over minor details can cast doubt on the veracity of the report, why do you accept hearsay documented decades if not centuries after the fact? There are no eyewitness accounts to anything in the Gospels, but you doubt the OP because you can't find an Indian police chief's personal details.

It couldn't possibly be that you hold things to a higher standard of evidence when they don't sit well than if they feel good, could it?

[LAGC]

50. ...crickets...

Why do the Christians never respond to this line of questioning?

[laconicsax]

54. Some do.

It's just the ones with an ounce of shame who don't.

By far, the most common shameless response I've seen to this type of question is, "F$@#% You!!!! It's completely different! How dare you?!? F&@#%!!!" followed by something wildly inappropriate.

[trotsky]

52. ZING

If inconsistency over minor details can cast doubt on the veracity of the report, why do you accept hearsay documented decades if not centuries after the fact?

Talk about double standards. Nice catch.

[laconicsax]

42. See post #21

It's like his very own "wedge" document.

[struggle4progress]

43. See post #22

[trotsky]

44. Bwah ha ha

You were busted big time. Give it up. Go defend religious nutballs elsewhere.

[struggle4progress]

48. Dunno. I somehow got in the habit of reflexively checking news stories

sometime in the last decade, and I'm fairly unimpressed by the reliability of corporate media: the "news" is often just a hook to catch people so they can be exposed to advertising. But advertising works in a particular context: it does not function well when critical thinking is common, and it functions better if the audience can be filled with anxiety that products promise to alleviate. So the "news" is driven by commercial forces towards stories that provoke knee-jerk emotional responses, to suppress critical thinking and produce discomfort

Stories like the story in the OP are common in the media, with conflicting details that are never resolved. The basic and easily recognized format is "horrid stupid people far away doing horrid stupid things," which produces the intended kneejerk emotional anxiety; one ought to suspect something amiss whenever one sees such stories reportedly briefly and vaguely, with substantially conflicting details. In the case of the OP, we can't even clarify exactly where the alleged event occurred or how it was discovered; the supposed participants in the crime all have generic names and have all apparently fled the jurisdiction -- and, curiously, there are updates on this grisly event, and perhaps the most likely conclusion is that there are no updates simply because there was no such event in the first place

[trotsky]

51. *yawn*

Busted.

[struggle4progress]

49. By the way, one can often track the evolution of such fables, with enough diligence. In this case,

the story on 18 August involved an alleged tantrik "Shiv Kumar" persuading parents to burn their daughter alive and bury the remains for some sort of good luck, but the story was in circulation a week earlier, with a rather different role for "Shiv Kumar"

Man kills niece for prosperity
2010-08-10 22:40:00
Pradesh), Aug 10 (IANS) Acting on the directions of a self-professed godman that killing of a minor girl would bring him prosperity and good luck, a man buried his eight-year-old niece alive in this Uttar Pradesh district Tuesday, police said. Shiv Kumar, a resident of Bangharanpurwa village in Gonda, some 150 km from Lucknow, buried his niece Manau alive in fields on the outskirts of the village .... police inspector S.P. Singh told reporters. "When we interrogated Shiv Kumar, he confessed to his crime and said it was committed on the directions of a 'tantrik', who is absconding" ... http://sify.com/news/man-kills-niece-for-prosperity-news-national-kikwEedgjii.html

It is clearly an earlier version of the same tale: but in the earlier version, Shiv Kumar is not the tantrik but the murdering man influenced by the tantrik, whereas a week later he has himself morphed into the tantrik inciting others to murder; in both versions, the tantrik absconds

[trotsky]

53. And yet you don't apply the same critical eye to all stories.

What a pity. See Post #46.

[struggle4progress]

55. What we know so far:

A version of this story was circulating at least a week before the version in the OP appeared

In the earlier version, the uncle Shiv Kumar of an eight year old girl Marau (under the influence of an unnamed "godman") buried her alive outside of Bangharanpurwa in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh in order to obtain prosperity; the "godman" then absconded; see my post #49 for link. This earlier version differs from the version in the OP, where the parents of an eight year old girl Kanni (under the influence of a "godman" named Shiv Kumar) burned her alive in Daheli or in Dahelikushepa in Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh and buried her body in their house or in their courtyard in order to obtain prosperity; depending on version, the event was discovered because villagers heard Kanni screaming -- or else her mouth was stuffed with rags so nobody could hear her protests and the event was discovered because villagers found some incense; the parents and the godman then all absconded; see my post #9 for links. In the earlier version the horror occurs 150 km from Lucknow, and in the later version 80 km from Lucknow

"Shiv Kumar" is a generic name: see my post #23. The names given for the murdering parents in the version in the OP also appear to be generic

The earlier version quotes "police inspector S.P. Singh" while the later version quotes "police inspector Rajveer Singh." "Singh," like "Kumar," is a generic surname. There are a number of persons S. Singh employed by the Uttar Pradesh police, which is the largest police department in the world; it is impossible to clarify this further since the early version does not give a full name. "Rajveer Singh" is a well-known name in Uttar Pradesh, since this is the name of the son of former three-term chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the son being current head of the Jan Kranti Party there; I also found a story about a "Rajveer Singh" arrested in Uttar Pradesh for impersonating a government official; the closest I can find to to "Rajveer Singh" among employees of the Uttar Pradesh police is a "Rajendra Singh" in Sitapur; see my posts #25 and #28

None of the names Shri Krishna, Rama Devi, Shiv Kumar given in the later version as absconded persons associated with the horrific murder of a little girl appear on the Uttar Pradesh "Most Wanted" list; see my post #29

It is possible that weather conditions might shed some light on the later version in which a little girl is burned alive near Sitapur, since it is currently monsoon season. The current monsoon season is not as wet as usual, but a fair amount of rain has fallen nevertheless. During the week in which the later version supposedly occurred, Sitapur received 1.5 inch of rain; the following week, on 21 August, Sitapur received something like 1.5 inches in a 24-hour period. Flood-related drownings are common in this season. Burning someone alive in the courtyard might be difficult, if it were pouring rain; clarifying this further would require knowing the exact date on which the event occurred, together with local meteorology. See my posts #19, #24 and #35

Given the regularity of drowning deaths at this time of year, a story like this might originate as a rumor around the discovery of a child's body in a muddy pit, as in the following case in Noida in Noida in Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh:

Two boys drown after falling in pit
Sunday - Aug 15, 2010, 04:41pm (GMT+5.5)
Noida (IANS) - Two boys, aged 13 and nine, died after falling in a pit filled with water in Sector 32 area of Noida, police said Saturday ... said Superintendent of Police (City) H.N. Singh ... http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/national/91060/

[ZombieHorde]

56. Sad. nt

[struggle4progress]

57. Here is an interesting timeline, showing the recent evolution of the story:

7 June: Movie stuntman Shiv Kumar is reported to have murdered his wife in Bangalore
B'lore: Stuntman murders wife in front of kids ... Shiv Kumar killed his 31-year-old wife by smashing her head with a stone on the suspicion that she was having an extra-marital affair ... http://news.oneindia.in/2010/06/07/bangalore-stuntman-murders-wife-in-front-children.html

7 August: Shiv Kumari in Jalandhar is reported to have set herself ablaze because she didn't like the place she'd moved to
WOMAN SETS HERSELF ABLAZE, DIES: A wife of a guard with the Railways committed suicide by setting herself ablaze .. last night. Shiv Kumari, wife of Bhole Nath, took the extreme step at about 2 am when her husband was on night duty ... Ram Sharan, her brother-in-law .. claimed that he heard shrikes in the midnight and rushed to the room where she was asleep ... http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100807/region.htm

10 August: Shiv Kumar is reported to have murdered his 8-year-old niece and buried her in a field to gain prosperity in Uttar Pradesh

18 August: "godman" Shiv Kumar is reported to have induced a family to set their 4-year-old child ablaze and bury her in the house or courtyard to gain prosperity in Uttar Pradesh