Official accidently runs over villagers’ infant son

An official in Zhejiang Province who demanded a rural couple pay a fine for violating the country's family planning policy killed their 13-month-old boy when the toddler was apparently accidently run over by his car, a local spokesman said Tuesday.

Authorities in the province's city of Wenzhou are investigating how the infant was killed, an official surnamed Zhou in Mayu township in Rui'an affiliated to Wenzhou, told AFP.

"The family was agitated," Zhou said. "After starting the car to bring the family to the office to discuss the matter, the official discovered the child had been crushed underneath the car."

The baby was sent to hospital but could not be saved, the People's Daily reported on its website, adding that at the time of the accident the mother surnamed Li, was sitting in the car and the father surnamed Chen, was getting in.

Some 11 family planning officials from the township arrived at Dongshantou village around noon on Monday in an attempt to persuade Chen and Li to pay up a fine for having an unauthorized child. The People's Daily reported that the husband resisted but later agreed to go to the township office.

Under China's population controls instituted more than 30 years ago, couples who have more than one child must pay a "social maintenance" fine, while in some cases mothers have been forced to undergo abortions. China's family planning policy, which exempts some rural families, ethnic minorities and couples who are both only children, has slowed the growth of the country's population and boosted economic development.