Hyderabad, Apr 3 (IANS): In yet another incident of gender bias in Andhra Pradesh, a man beat up his pregnant wife for carrying a girl child, resulting in a miscarriage, police said Tuesday. He was arrested.

The shocking incident took place Sunday in Tenali town of Guntur district, about 315 km from here.

Police arrested Allabaksh and his parents for beating up six-month pregnant Munni, 30, who already has two daughters. The accused were booked for harassing Munni and causing death of the foetus.

Though the crime was committed Sunday, it came to light only after Munni was admitted to hospital. She is in a private hospital and her condition is now stated to be stable.

Allabaksh hit his wife with an iron rod on her stomach. His parents also hit her with a bucket, resulting in the miscarriage, police said.

The family is said to be a strong believer in a godman, who had reportedly predicted that Munni's sixth pregnancy would lead to birth of a boy. When a scan report revealed that she was carrying a female foetus, her husband and in-laws got angry and decided to eliminate the pregnancy.

Allabaksh had forced his wife to abort twice in the past.

Guntur District Collector V.N. Vishnu has asked the district medical and health officer to probe the incident.

Women organisations voiced concern over the increasing number of female infanticide. The activists said the incidents highlighted the fact that a section of people saw a girl child as a burden.

In May last year, a man in Kurnool town had beaten his pregnant wife to death for carrying a female foetus for the third consecutive time.

In another incident that took place in Warangal district last year, a father killed his baby girl in frustration that his wife failed to deliver a boy for the third time.