Doctors at the Bowring Hospital, where Afreen was first admitted on Friday, filed a medico-legal case based on the marks of abuse and torture seen on the baby's body. However, the doctors there did not refer the case to the police after Afreen's family pleaded with them not to.
Talking to The Hindu on Tuesday, Afreen's grandfather Abdul Karim Khan said with no money to pay for hospitalisation, they had hoped that his son-in-law, Umar Farook, would come to the hospital to bear the expenses. “We have no money at all, while his family have enough money and own land in the city. We told doctors to give Umar a day's time to turn up at the hospital,” he said.
However, as the baby's condition was critical and needed ventilator support — which could not be immediately provided in Bowring Hospital — she was shifted to Vani Vilas Hospital the next day. Doctors here reported the matter to the CWC .
Mr. Khan said divorce proceedings to end his daughter Reshma Banu's marriage would start soon.
Keywords: Baby Afreen case, female infanticide, child rights




Dr myself..not condoning or anything the 'negligent' action of doctors above..but it does happen in clinical practice..drs are cautious by training and temperament, and unless they are sure that something is the right thing to do they are likely to do nothing..especially in such cases as domestic violence etc..though this here seems like a case in which reporting is not just the right thing but the only thing to do.
I agree with Kunal. Doctors cannot yield to the requests of the family while dealing with a case of child abuse. I wonder how the others in the family did not notice that the child was being abused by the beast in the first place.
It's the legal duty of a Doctor to report any case suspected to be child abuse to the authorities.I don't understand what is the significance of this story posted separately from the whole terrible storyline.
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