A forlorn father’s deadly dilemma

He left baby’s body on pavement near LNJP Hospital so he could find a place to conduct last rites

The body of a baby boy was found on a pavement near the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital here on Saturday morning.

While the police were earlier suspecting that some unmarried couple had left the body there, it later turned out that the baby’s father had left it there and gone looking for a place to conduct the last rites.

The matter was reported to the police around 7-30 a.m. When the police reached the spot, they found a pair of surgical gloves and a medical slip near the body. Investigation was taken up by the police immediately and several hospital staff members and people around the spot were questioned.

The police found that the baby was a stillborn and the body was surgically removed at LNJP Hospital on Friday night. It was handed over to the baby’s father Lakhan Singh (47).

“Lakhan told us that there was no one to accompany him to conduct the last rites. He could not leave it inside the hospital and his wife was not in a condition to take care of the body. So he had to keep it on the pavement while he went out to look for a place to perform the last rites,” said a senior police officer.

With the help of the medical slip found near the body, the police also came to know that the baby’s mother was admitted to the hospital two days ago. She had to undergo an urgent surgery due to some complications. Lakhan works as a labourer in Kanpur. He and his wife had come to Delhi for the surgery and were new to the city. Later the police helped him find a place to carry out the last rites.