An 11-year-old Argentine girl died Wednesday after being robbed of her backpack and beaten on the way to school, sparking protests over rising crime and prompting politicians to suspend election campaigning. The country holds primary elections on Sunday, ahead of a presidential poll on October 22, with rampant inflation and growing insecurity topping voter concerns. Witnesses speaking to local television stations said Morena Dominguez was walking to school when thieves on the back of a motorcycle — a common tactic in the country — hit her and grabbed her backpack. Dominguez was taken to hospital where she later died. Javier Maroni, director of the Evita health centre where she was taken, said she arrived in “critical condition” with a severe head wound and while doctors managed to revive her heartbeat, she died in intensive care.